Split the Ice Apart
by AirbornAnomaly
Summary: Three years after the events of "Frozen", Arendelle is a kingdom of peace and prosperity. However, when unfortunate circumstances dredge up old pain within the Queen, will Elsa lock the door forever or learn to move on? A story of loss and true friendship.
1. The Queen's Friend

"Interesting party, huh?"

That was an understatement. Elsa looked from a pyramid of clowns to a woman eating fire to a man in a top hat forcing a rabbit out of a hat. The Queen rapped her fingers against the table she was sitting at and sighed. Anna had been throwing some weird functions in her attempt to combine bonding with the people of Arendelle and discovering new things. This was "The First Annual Arendelle Circus Party". Elsa reminded herself to make sure the second would be held in the town itself, because the castle courtyard was ruined.

"I kind of like the acrobats," Elsa responded, the guard standing next to her nodded in agreement.

"This is better than 'The First Annual Arendelle Murder Mystery Party'. At least I don't have to pretend to be dead at this party," the guard lamented. Elsa giggled at the memory of him lying on the floor, bored for an hour while Anna tried to explain the rules of solving the mystery. The guard's normally rosy pallor was simply cadaverous by the end of the night. _How appropriate_, she thought with a smirk.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"You made a good corpse," Elsa teased. She looked up at him and was pleased to find him smiling. His sunken cheeks and soft jaw made him look exactly his age at twenty-six. His dark brown hair was tussled lazily and his face showed hints of stubble. She tightened her lips. "Are you still pretending to be dead or do you no longer care about how you present yourself?"

His eyebrows sank deeper on his brow. "I was wondering if you would notice that I didn't shave today," he said as he rubbed his chin.

"How could I miss it, Hank?" She smirked mischievously. "Were you too busy this morning? Maybe, with a 'friend'?"

Hank rolled his eyes and pulled out the chair next to Elsa. "The only person I spend a lot of time with is you." He sat down and relaxed in the seat. "This kingdom sure needs a lot of guarding for such a tiny place."

"I just like to fill the castle with friends, it keeps me happy," Elsa admitted.

"As long as you aren't freezing me over, I'll work whenever you want," Hank remarked. Elsa frowned in reminisce. "This is a pretty good way to earn money though. I'm actually enjoying guarding this thing." He waved his hand in the direction of the festivities. The tables were arranged around all the entertainment like the circus tents Elsa saw in books she read as children. It was rather charming.

"You don't enjoy your other shifts?" Elsa wondered aloud. "The ones where you guard from a couch while I sign official documents? Where you guard on ice skates in the courtyard playing hockey? Where you guard the horses when I feel like feeding Sven a carrot or two? Where you-"

"Okay, I have a great job," Hank agreed. He looked around and saw a castle butler walking near. "Am I allowed to drink on my job?"

"No," Elsa answered. "I have to draw the line somewhere. I'll have a glass of red though, go get me one and earn your pay."

Hank grumbled and got up to go find that butler. Elsa leaned back in her chair and started to watch the magician pull handkerchiefs out of his sleeves. She always found some charm in that kind of fake magic. She used to read books on it and even practiced some herself back in the day. She figured her real magic made the fake kind even more impressive somehow. She turned her attention to the clowns who were now riding around on unicycles. In a series of unexpected circumstances one of them slipped on a patch of ice and fell, leading to a chain of falling and a five clown pile-up. Elsa giggled along with the children watching the performers.

"That was rude," Hank observed, placing a glass of wine in front of the queen.

Elsa shrugged and picked up her glass. "Ice in July. It can happen." She eyed her drink suspiciously. "Did you take a sip of this?" she asked her guard.

"I would never," he replied quickly, sounding slightly offended.

"You should have," Elsa said. She took a sip then held out the glass to Hank with a wink. The soldier looked at the glass and creased his eyebrows as if he was deciding something. After Elsa pushed the glass further towards him he took the drink and had a small sip. He passed it back across the table.

"Afraid of wine or my germs?" she accused. She uncrossed her legs then re-crossed them the other way.

"I'd rather have a beer," Hank explained. Elsa smirked and took another sip of wine. She made a point of wiping the spot she drank from then passed the glass back to Hank. He laughed lightly then took a larger drink of the liquid. "This stuff tastes too empty. It's deceiving."

"Maybe I'll be in the mood for beer after I'm finished with this glass," Elsa said before taking the wine from Hank and downing it with one big gulp. She calmly set the empty glass on the table and wiped her mouth with a finger. "You know what, Hank? I think I want a mug of beer. Could you please fetch me one?"

The guard's eyes lit up. "You are the greatest Queen in the history of Arendelle, Elsa," Hank raved before standing to go get the drink. Her cheeks tingled a bit from the wine. She probably shouldn't have drunk it that fast, but it was no big deal. Hank would have no qualms finishing off the whole beer if she couldn't drink much of it. She yawned widely and smacked her lips unceremoniously. Bed was an entertaining prospect to her at the moment. Her friend returned in record time.

"I got your favourite kind," Hank claimed as he set the mug in front of her. Frothy foam spilled over the edge of the glass invitingly. Elsa picked up the glass and used her powers to frost the mug and chill the beer.

"I don't have a favourite kind," she said before taking a gulp. It had a hint of apple to the thick taste.

"I know, so I got my favourite and figured it should be yours too." He grabbed the mug she offered him and took a large swallow. He nodded approvingly. "I should drink with you more often if you can make it taste this good."

"Let's not make a habit of drinking together, Hank. I don't want to have to answer for that one day." She shivered at the thought of a visiting dignitary hearing about the queen drinking with one of her subordinates through castle gossip and refusing to trade with Arendelle. "Plus, you're getting paid right now. Try not to enjoy yourself too much or the other guards will get jealous."

"You're approachable," Hank shrugged. "If they want to hang out with you all they have to do is come and talk." He took another drink then passed the mug over. Elsa gripped it and took another gulp. It was pretty good.

"Apparently not as easy a task as it looks, considering the only friends I really have are you, my sister, her boyfriend, a reindeer, and a snowman that I made." She drank again, relishing the fruity tinge of the ale. Hank gripped the edge of the table.

"I can leave if you want to despair in peace."

She smiled warmly and took a long drink. "Nah, I'm okay. That's a pretty fine group considering how often I'm busy with various royal duties. Plus, I think the people of Arendelle like me."

"Who wouldn't like a queen who can drink like that?" Hank commented. Elsa looked down at the mug and was surprised to see right through it. She tilted it upside down and watched the last two drops spill onto the floor.

"I think it's time to call it a night," Elsa decided. Hank got up and pulled her chair out for her. "Thank you, noble sir." He rolled his eyes. "Could you stay a little longer and make sure this party winds down alright?" she requested.

"Absolutely," he replied. "I've got it handled."

Elsa nodded and smiled before bidding him good night and heading into the castle. Hank watched her leave then turned around to find the group of clowns. He needed to make sure there were no injuries from the incident earlier.

* * *

Morning. The windows were fogged, her breath painted the air, and her bare skin was treated to the comfortable embrace of a cool winter breeze. She looked around a little and saw a couple inches of snow piled around her bed. She sighed in annoyance; she was using her powers in her sleep again.

With a flick of her wrist the snow was gone, evaporated into deep blue crystals that floated still in the air. She wiggled her finger and those crystals swirled around her body, settling to leave a beautiful blue dress. Purplish ice clung to her bust and crossed her shoulders, getting gradually lighter in colour and tapering out as it went lower on her body. There wasn't enough snow to make the garment go lower than her knees. She pondered conjuring up some more but instead shrugged and got up to brush her hair.

A knock at the door woke her up from the drudgery of morning routines. She set down the brush and called, "Yes?"

"Good morning, your Majesty," a man's voice spoke from behind the door. "I'm here to rouse you for breakfast." He paused a short moment then added, "Like you asked me to."

Elsa smiled. "Just like I asked you to, Hank. Come in."

Hank slowly opened the door and stepped inside casually. His hair and slicked back loosely and, to Elsa's dismay, he still hadn't shaved. "Sorry for interrupting you, Queen Elsa. I can see you were busy."

The Queen rolled her eyes, "Not all of us wake up with the rooster to go for a run." She picked up her brush and continued on her hair, eager to finish the job. "How's your father doing?"

"Good enough thanks for asking."

Elsa raised an eyebrow. Her friend didn't speak that quickly like that unless something was biting at him. Noticing her gesture Hank stood up straighter and smiled a little, "Don't worry, Elsa. Nothing's wrong."

She arched an eyebrow and gave him the best are-you-kidding-me look she could muster. "Then stop tapping your foot."

Hank looked down and forced his appendage into submission.

"What is it?"

"It's…" He shifted his weight around as if trying to avoid the answer. He blinked and clenched his fists. "Your, um…your…" he nodded his head towards her lower body.

Elsa looked down and saw her short dress had hitched its way higher up her legs when she sat down. Everything from mid-thigh was on display and right in Hank's face. "Hmmm, looks like my dress is a tad too short."

"One could say that," Hank agreed through a blush.

"But would you?" Elsa asked innocently with a teasing gleam in her eye.

He smiled as if he expected the response. "I don't think a simple guard such as I has the right to judge the world of fashion."

"Oh, good one," Elsa acknowledged with a smirk.

Elsa enjoyed having Hank around the castle. Captain Henrik Eriksson was a royal guard for a couple years before her coronation. He had entered the family business so-to-speak, with every one of his traced relatives working for Elsa's family. A few weeks into her return from North Mountain she made a note of introducing herself to all of the castle staff and was intrigued when Hank told her he had the 'pleasure' of bringing food to her door for years until he finally had served enough time as a squire to graduate to full servitude. He had actually thought she didn't exist after a while of doing this and thought the coronation was an elaborate joke being played on him. She was also impressed that he was the only person she introduced herself to in a week that didn't flinch when she moved. They were quick friends and Elsa had him follow her on most of her royal duties for a while as a familiar presence to help calm her advisors and her subjects. It had been a few years since then and she had expanded his duties into something of a bodyguard. Just recently she had asked him to wake her in the mornings in case she slept in. He seemed to enjoy his new role in the guard but had visual problems adjusting to how personal his job was getting. She was trying to get him over that.

"Want to eat breakfast with me today?" Elsa asked. She set down her brush on the vanity and started to braid her hair.

"It wouldn't be proper for a soldier to eat with the Queen," Hank replied stiffly.

"It would be very proper for a Queen's guard to sit next to her while she eats to make sure that any evil sausage grease doesn't jump out and burn her," Elsa argued. "It would also be proper for the Queen to eat with her friend." The soldier shifted his weight and scratched his neck. Elsa finished her hair, conjuring up ice clips to hold it together. She gave him a warm smile.

"It wouldn't hurt, I guess," Hank smiled, rubbing a hand over his stomach. He was hungry.

* * *

"Pass the syrup."

"Say please," Elsa insisted. She grabbed the handle of the syrup container and held it at arm's length.

"Please," Hank added, slightly irritated. She handed him the syrup and he started drowning his pancakes in it.

"For someone who didn't want to eat with me you sure are hungry," Elsa noted. She speared a hash brown with her fork and placed it in her mouth.

"For someone with deadly ice magic you sure spend a lot of time with your guard," Hank countered. He began shoving pancakes in his mouth as if he hadn't eaten in days. _He might not have_, Elsa thought.

"Don't be an asshole, Captain Eriksson," she warned. He had a nasty habit of getting snippy when he got comfortable. She usually cooled the air around him to keep him on edge. Like she started doing just now.

Hank just kept eating his pancakes. Elsa bit her lip.

"Are you getting paid enough," she pried.

He swallowed his bite and looked at her curiously. "What do you mean?"

"Are you getting enough to eat?" She uncrossed and re-crossed her legs. She started to feel stupid for asking about his personal life.

"If I say no…" Hank started, "Will I get to eat castle food every day?"

"You are always welcome to eat in the castle," Elsa answered honestly. "Now, what's really bothering you? I know that a little leg wouldn't get to you like that."

Hank's smile shifted into a tiny frown. He gently set down his fork and knife and sat back in his chair. "My father is dying. I've been using most of my money to buy him luxuries to see him off and medicine to keep him here as long as I can." Elsa's expression changed to one of intense concern. The face of a Queen who cares about every one of her subjects. "Funny how we do that, huh?" Hank chuckled. "The poor guy just wants to go but I refuse to let him."

"Why are you at work?" Elsa demanded sternly.

"Umm, to protect you, your sister, and the kingdom?"

"Don't be a smartass, Henrik. Why aren't you with your father right now?"

"I need to be here or else I wouldn't have enough to keep him comfortable," Hank explained.

"I will give you as much as you need," Elsa offered. "I would give anything to have another five minutes with my father, don't waste the last minutes you have with yours."

Hank frowned. "Elsa, I can't do that. I would rather not have that time than borrow it from your coffers."

"Trust me, that is not true at all. Go home, I want the only time you aren't by your father's side to be spent updating me on how he's doing."

"I would rather stay he-"

"GO!" Elsa yelled. She swirled her wrist and a blast of concentrated snow shot forth, knocking Hank from his chair. The soldier grunted and got up slowly. He very carefully walked to the door of the hall and gave Elsa one last look before leaving. She wondered if it was annoyance in his eyes or gratitude. She decided it was most likely both.


	2. Frozen

Kristoff stretched in the seat of his sleigh, eliciting a loud crack from his back. He frowned and scratched the side of his head. His body wasn't as accustomed to manual labour as it once was. Living in the castle spoiled him, even if he still went out to harvest some ice once every couple of weeks. Sven chugged along at a slow pace. The reindeer was getting old, and the rest (and carrots) of the castle were making him show it. Kristoff shivered at the thought of Sven…retiring then tried to concentrate on the road ahead of him.

He didn't really need to take Sven on this short trip with him, but Elsa had thrown enough stuff in the sleigh to weigh down a single horse and he didn't want to be bothered saddling two. His buddy plowed along happily towards the outskirts of town, used to making deliveries like this by now. He may be getting flabby, but the "Royal Ice Deliverer" actually has _some_ official business to do. They rounded the bend and saw a modest looking house with a few acres of seeded land behind it. _This must be the place_, he thought. He signalled Sven to stop and hopped off his sleigh. A hop, skip, and a jump and he was at the door.

…

He should probably stop spending so much time with Anna.

…

_Or not._

Two heavy knocks and he waited. And waited. And waited. People always took their time to get the door when he delivered, but not usually this long. He gave one last heavy knock and backed up a step. He heard a chair scraping and heavy footsteps leading to the front of the house. The door swung open wide to reveal a man a couple inches shorter than him with quite an angry demeanor. If he didn't receive personal orders from Elsa he would expect to have the wrong house, this guy did not look like he was expecting anything. Actually, this guy looked kind of familiar.

"Captain Eriksson?" Kristoff asked. He almost didn't recognize him. He was wearing a loose tunic and dirty brown pants, a far cry from the uniform of the castle. The bottom half of his face was covered in stubble, whereas it was usually slick as a patch of ice. The guard looked behind him thoughtfully, stepped out of the house, and closed the door.

"What is it, Bjorgman?" he said in a tired tone. Kristoff cringed. He was sure he told him to call him by his first name; although he was pretty sure the Captain was never a big fan of the position of Royal Ice Deliverer.

Kristoff rubbed the back of his head. "Why aren't you with Elsa?" he asked, truly curious. Around this time they were usually in the castle, listening to the demands and inquiries of the people. Hank just stood near the citizens to keep them scared. Sometimes Kristoff saw Elsa and Hank exchanging glances during those hearings and it almost looked like they were speaking to each other telepathically.

"I have a life outside of work you know," the guard snapped. "I'm kind of busy actually, could you please come back later?"

"Elsa asked me to deliver all of this stuff," he gestured to the cart. Sven wagged his tongue happily, "To this house. Do you want to help me unload it?"

Hank picked at the stubble on his chin. "No," he replied.

Kristoff frowned. "Could you _please_ help me unload it?" he tried again.

Hank shook his head to show that he couldn't. Kristoff grumbled and turned around to start grabbing crates. He grabbed the heaviest box and started to bring it to the door. "Just leave it near the entrance," Hank shouted out to him. "I'll bring it inside."

Kristoff just grumbled some more and continued with his task. Hank eyed every crate the ice harvester brought forth suspiciously, mouthing things as if he was taking a mental tally. Kristoff brought forth the last crate and set it down carefully at Hank's feet. The guard looked at the blanket on top of the objects inside and nodded, as if he could tell what was in it.

"Is this okay?" Kristoff asked sarcastically.

"Pretty good," Hank replied, not noticing or not caring about Kristoff's tone. "Although I want you to bring back that one," he requested while pointing at a crate.

Kristoff blinked. "Why?"

"Just tell Elsa I said thanks and bring that back to her please," Hank asked. He stuck out his hand towards Kristoff. The blonde man looked at it awkwardly before lifting his own to meet it. Hank shook hands very comfortably, something Kristoff wasn't used to. Every guy who shook his hand since he started working for the crown had tried to crush it. "Thanks, Bjorgman."

Kristoff smiled, feeling pretty good about the work he did today all of a sudden. "No problem, Captain Eriksson. I'll see you at the castle later?"

"Maybe," he answered. He opened his door and started to load boxes. Kristoff was sure he heard some coughing from inside the house but, not wanting to invade other people's business, he picked up the box Hank refused to take and went back to his sleigh.

* * *

"He didn't take it!?" Elsa yelled. Kristoff felt uncomfortable. He never did like speaking to the Queen when she was on her throne. Her approachable personality seemed to vanish behind a veil of power. He wished he was back in the stable, singing with Sven.

"Don't worry!" Kristoff assured. "He only refused one box. I don't know why, he didn't even look in it." Kristoff brought the box up the stairs to the throne and set it in front of Elsa. She raised an eyebrow and leaned forward, eyeing the box carefully. She grabbed the blanket covering it and pulled it off. Kristoff's eyes widened, Elsa's narrowed.

The box was filled from bottom to top with gold pieces. The Queen's pale skin lit up from the reflection. She chewed the bottom of her lip and sat back in her chair.

"Elsa…you didn't really expect him to accept this, did you?" Kristoff wondered aloud.

"No," Elsa admitted, defeated. "I should have known he would be expecting me to do this too." She turned towards Kristoff, her big eyes showing concern. "Was he mad?"

"I couldn't tell," Kristoff shrugged. "Like I said, he didn't even look in the crate. He did tell me to thank you though."

Elsa rapped her fingers against the arms of her throne thoughtfully. She uncrossed her legs as if about to get up, then crossed them again as if she came to a decision. "Did you see how his father is doing?" she asked her Ice Deliverer.

"He has a father?" Kristoff asked incredulously. He paused for just a second. "Wait- I mean, his father is around and we've never seen him?"

The girl in the chair frowned. "I've met him," Elsa explained. "He used to be a guard here until he took a wound from an enraged villager when I…got a bit out of hand." She closed her eyes, wiping her mind of the memories of that for the moment. It was hard coming back to learn of the chaos that happened here while she was frolicking around on North Mountain.

"Elsa, it wasn't your fault," Kristoff comforted as he placed an assuring hand on her shoulder. "You had been suppressing your powers for-"

"Yes, yes, I know," Elsa interrupted. She patted Kristoff's hand appreciatively. "It's over and done. It just feels kind of bad to know that people are still hurt from it." Her eyes didn't make the man think that it was 'over and done'.

"Why don't you go talk to him?" Kristoff suggested.

Elsa's eyes widened. "Kristoff, I can't just go over there uninvited to talk to a sick man."

"Yes you can," Kristoff argued. "You're the Queen of Arendelle."

Elsa laughed. "Yes, I am. That doesn't give me the right to barge into a friend's house and dig into his private matters." She stood up and started to walk off to what Kristoff assumed would be her next royal appointment. "Thank you for delivering everything, Kristoff."

"Elsa," he called after her. She turned around with a smile. "I think Captain Eriksson would appreciate a visit. He doesn't look too well." Elsa nodded knowingly and continued on her way.

* * *

The Queen yawned and put down her quill. That was enough signatures for one day. She neatly folded the last letter and placed it on her finished pile. "Time for bed," she said to nobody in particular. There was a sensation and a scraping sound before she jumped as her chair was pulled out from the table. Without even thinking she spread her fingers and froze everything five feet behind her.

"ARRGGGGHHH!" came a scream from above her. She stood up, determined to face the intruder and flared out her arms aggressively. She was greeted to the sight of Captain Henrik Eriksson writhing in pain in his place. Everything from below his torso was covered in ice as well as the chair and bookshelf behind him. His uniform looked like it was thrown on lazily, it was creased with wrinkles. His face was covered in the beginnings of a dark beard and his hair looked unwashed. He was a wreck.

And covered in ice.

"Hank!" she screamed before unfreezing everything as fast as possible. The guard fell to the floor and curled up. He clenched his teeth and cried through them in agony. She got on her knees and felt his leg. It was ice cold but the blood was definitely beginning to circulate. "Shhhh," she whispered while rubbing his leg. "Just calm down."

He looked at her as if she said the stupidest thing he ever heard. Thinking back on it for a moment she realized it was probably a prime contender. He pushed her away lightly and struggled onto his hands and knees. His breathing was laboured and she was sure she saw a tear or five in his dark eyes. She also noticed they were red and tired. He dry heaved once, twice, before unloading the contents of his stomach all over the floor of her study. She grimaced in disgust but rubbed his back all the same.

"That…was the worst thing I've EVER, ughhhh, experienced," he choked out through heavy breaths. Little bits of vomit leaked from his mouth and he spit out the last of it. He got on one knee then pushed himself onto his feet. He struggled for balance before Elsa reached out and steadied him.

"You shouldn't have snuck up on me," Elsa scolded in an annoyed tone. She reasoned that now that he was okay it was alright to get mad. She took notice of where he left his sick and helped him towards the door.

"I've been here for an hour," he said. Elsa rolled her eyes. It would be just like him to not announce his arrival. His knees buckled but he pushed one of his arms against the wall and Elsa was able to keep him up.

"C'mon, we'll lay you down somewhere comfy and I'll fetch the castle physician."

"No!" Hank snapped. Elsa recoiled in surprise. "I'm fine. Let me just see you off to bed and then I'll go home."

"You can't defy me, I'm the Queen," Elsa commanded. She only got unintelligible mumbles back as response. She led him on their way until they arrived at her bedroom. She helped him to the bed and put him down on it.

Hank looked around with a small frown, noting exactly what bed he was in. "This is weird, Elsa."

"You've been here plenty before. Now shut up and relax." She ran off down the hallway to wake the one chef who had medical experience. Hank watched her go then relaxed into the bed. It was extremely comfortable. He observed his surroundings and saw them unchanged from the usual. Plain walls, not many trinkets or decorations. Just a hairbrush on the vanity and a small painting of Elsa with her sister. He closed his eyes and waited, enjoying the rest and not enjoying how he could barely feel his lower body.

Elsa charged in the door with a tired looking man behind her. Hank was happy to see that only the places where she stepped were freezing instead of everything around her; she was getting better at controlling that. The tired man fumbled up to the bed and looked at his patient. Hank recognized him as Daniel from the kitchens.

"How are you feeling?" Daniel asked before yawning.

"That depends, what do you mean by 'feeling'?" Hank responded.

"Just help him out, Henrik," Elsa demanded.

Hank narrowed his eyes at her then slapped his thigh. "It's really stiff, but I can move it."

Daniel nodded. "Go to sleep. You'll be fine in the morning." Elsa arched her eyebrows angrily at the simple advice. Hank felt the room get noticeably cooler.

"Thanks, Doctor Daniel," Hank teased. Daniel chuckled before leaving the bedside to say some formalities to Elsa and head back to sleep. Based on the way the Chef walked out he was pretty sure Elsa wasn't speaking like the humble, gentle Queen she usually was. Elsa walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. She looked at Hank with a frown and worried eyes. He smiled a little. "What is it?"

"You look absolutely horrible."

"I know," Hank agreed. "I just needed to get out. I needed to go to work."

"You could've shaved before coming in," she teased, scratching her fingers in his beard.

"Careful," he warned. "There might be some vomit in there."

She pulled back her hand, trying to shield her disgust. She failed at that and attempted to change the subject. "How's your father?"

"Bad," he admitted. "He's raving. Telling me all about how I should be working the fields instead of sitting with him and asking where mother is." He sank into the pillow and closed his eyes.

"Oh," was all Elsa could get out. She had never heard about his mother, even after all this time. It was hard to think she could, since her relationship to her mother was so close, but she always assumed it was just the two of them; Hank and his Dad. She hugged herself and started missing her parents again.

"It's okay," he said placing a hand on her thigh. "I've almost come to terms with him leaving."

"No you haven't," she accused. "Or else your eyes would be clear and your uniform would be pristine."

They were silent for a moment before Hank grunted and tried to get up. Elsa pushed his chest hard, forcing him back. "Stay here for the night," she insisted. She caught the hints of a blush spreading through his beard. "I'll stay in one of the guest rooms," she quickly added. "We'll eat a big breakfast and then you can go back home."

He swished his jaw a couple times then nodded, seemingly satisfied. "Okay. Good night, Elsa. Thank you...and sorry for throwing up on your carpet."

"Don't worry, you can help to replace it when you feel better," she suggested. "Good night, Hank." With that she exited the room and closed the door. Hank closed his eyes and fell into the first sleep he had since the last day he was at work.


	3. The Ache of a Burdened Heart

Anna threw her door open and skipped out of her room. She planted her feet firmly on the ground and threw out her arms.

"Good morning, world!" she shouted to the heavens.

"Good morning, Anna!" she greeted herself in as deep of a voice as she could make.

…

Maybe she should stop hanging around Kristoff so much.

…

Nah.

She ran down the hallway to the first stop in her onslaught of joy and giggled with glee. She could already tell this would be a great day. She rapped on the door twice.

"_Elsaaaaaa_!" she sung, "_Do you want to build a snowman_?"

Silence was her reply. She crinkled her nose. Elsa had always replied immediately since…yeah. Anna lightly spun the knob and opened the door, determination carved into her face. At least the door wasn't locked.

"Elsa?" Anna asked the room. She didn't find her sister's voluptuous platinum blonde hair sticking out in the dullness of the room, but she did find a lump cuddled up under the covers in the bed. She crept over mischievously and grabbed the corner of the concealing blanket. "_Wake up_!" she sung at the top of her lungs while pulling the covers.

Dark brown eyes shot open and the lump spun over to face her. His dark hair was messy and starting to curl on the back of his neck. He had a beard the same colour as his hair and he smelled absolutely horrible. It looked like the royal guard uniform he was wearing was pulled out of the trash. Anna couldn't figure out how a homeless man got into the castle. She especially couldn't figure out how anybody got into Elsa's room before recognition hit her.

"Captain Eriksson!?" she screamed. "What the hell happened to you?"

He looked up curiously, as if he had no idea why the princess would be waking him up until he tried to sit up. He recoiled in pain from the action, his breathing quickened and his hands gripped the covers tightly.

"Hank!" the girl called worriedly before wrapping her arms around him in a hug. She felt his throbbing heart start to calm down from her embrace. He smelled strongly of vomit and Elsa. It was oddly nice to Anna. She pulled away from him and smiled at him. His head was turned towards the door and he had a smile of his own.

Anna followed his gaze to find her sister at the door, gripping the frame tightly and chest heaving noticeably. She was dressed in a plain white nightgown and her hair was messy. That was new. Anna couldn't help but laugh at the sight, painting a picture of the moment in her mind to look at whenever she felt down. She enjoyed seeing a red tint cover her sister's face when she looked down at herself.

"I-I heard a scream," the Queen tried to explain. "I was in the, um, guest room downstairs and h-heard…nevermind." She hung her head and walked in the room closing the door behind her. "How are you feeling, Hank?"

"Stiff," a croaky unfamiliar voice choked out. The guard coughed heavily before speaking again. "Fine."

Elsa raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "Can you move?" He nodded affirmative.

"Hank…" Anna started before being silenced by his hand patting the top of hers. She bit her lip as she watched him place his hands on the bed, readying himself to be pushed up. With one fast movement his biceps tightened and pushed him upright.

_CRACK_

And the sisters were treated to the loudest sound they had ever heard the human body make.

In an instant, Anna was being pushed over on the bed, Elsa taking her place. She watched her sister try to grab the man before being waved off aggressively. Hank looked into Elsa's eyes thoughtfully, a gaze that begged trust. Elsa nodded in understanding and grabbed Anna's arm, pulling her off the bed. Hank closed his eyes and turned his torso all the way to the right. Another, although less violent, crack. He did the same towards the left. Same thing. He exhaled deeply.

"I think my spine was actually frozen in place," he observed while rolling his shoulders slowly. "I'm okay." Elsa's expression relaxed into one of relief. She took his hand and squeezed it.

"Good," she said letting go of his hand. "Now get out of here while I change out this hideous gown." She crinkled her nose. "And bathe before breakfast Hank, you smell worse than last night."

Hank nodded firmly and walked out, Anna in tow. He closed the door and turned towards the barracks but was blocked by a face full of Anna.

"Soooo, last night?" she questioned cheekily. She leaned closer, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

Hank smiled. "If you really want to know, go check the study."

She _needed_ to know. San ran as fast as she could for the study.

* * *

"There are razors in the barracks, you know," Elsa reminded Hank. The man shrugged and returned to his breakfast. She was happy to see him eating slower this time but she wasn't sure if it was because he was well fed or the food was too hot. She wasn't happy to see particles of food sticking in his facial hair.

"At least use a napkin," she urged. The guard groaned and looked at her in contempt. He grabbed the napkin off the table haphazardly, straightened his back, and did his best impression of a nobleman, lightly pressing the napkin to his mouth four times. Anna giggled until an icy stare from Elsa shut her up. "Come on, Hank, you must know how ridiculous you look."

He grimaced and turned to Anna. The girl straightened and sunk at the sudden attention on her. When Hank spoke to you he made sure you knew it, this intimidated many people. "Princess Anna," he asked sweetly almost in a mockery of the attention his physicality demanded. "Do you hate my scruff and unsightly demeanor as much as your dear sister, the Queen?"

Anna shook her head. "Not really, I think it's kind of cute." Elsa gave her sister a dirty look as if to question her allegiance.

Hank turned his gaze to Elsa. "Thank you, Princess. It seems that only the Queen believes me to be completely hideous. She mustn't understand the fear of using such a sharp blade near your own neck when you can barely keep your hands from shaking. Thank you for breakfast." He threw the napkin in his hands on top of his half-finished plate and stomped out of the dining hall. Anna watched him leave with a concerned frown. She looked at her older sister and saw her deep blue eyes tearing up.

"Elsa, are you okay?" Anna asked carefully.

Elsa took a few heavy breaths before speaking. "I managed to hurt one of my subjects, my _friend_ no less, physically and emotionally in the same day," she explained. "I'm not feeling too great Anna."

The younger sibling watched the condensation pooling at the bottom of her sister's eyes freeze and crack away. The ice fell down her cheeks making it look like she had crystals embedded in them. It was rather beautiful.

"You should apologize," Anna insisted. "Why don't you go visit him at home?"

"I can't Anna," Elsa said. "He didn't invite me."

"Why do you need an invitation? He's a great friend."

"I don't want to invade his privacy, Anna!" Elsa snapped. "Why does everyone want me to just go over there and steal all of his precious time?" The strawberry blonde recoiled and shivered. The air was freezing. Elsa stood up with a frown and stomped out of the room the opposite direction Hank went. Anna looked down at her breakfast and realized she wasn't hungry anymore. She looked to both doors, deciding what to do. She got up and went out the door Hank left through.

* * *

Now, she didn't plan on following him home. It just sort of happened. She didn't mean to hide from him the whole way there, it started as a game and then just blossomed from there into a challenge. She didn't mean to crawl into the shrubs near his window; it just looked really comfy in there. She didn't mean to then open his window a little; she just thought Hank would appreciate the draft. She didn't mean to eat one of the apples off the tree in the front; she just left home without finishing her breakfast.

So, Anna didn't really mean to be spying on her royal guard and friend.

And she didn't want to be crying.

Inside the little crack in the window she saw a familiar room. This room in Hank's house had been decorated exactly like the guard's barracks at the castle. The walls were painted white with green and purple strips adorning the bottom half of the wall in an endless pattern. Two candle chandeliers hung from equal spaces on the ceiling. Lockers filled with armour and weapons were lined along the farthest wall and she could see an open space leading to the bathing area next to that. On the wall to her left were portraits of past rulers. She recognized her parents and an addition not found in the real barracks; a large oil painting of Elsa in her coronation dress, smiling brightly straight ahead. The Arendelle crest, carved from the heart of a tree, hung on the wall above a bed decked out in purple and green sheets.

In the bed was an old man, peacefully sleeping. His sunken cheeks and sharp eyebrows reminded her of Hank, she figured the man to be his father. What was different from the guard she knew was the hair. His pinecone locks were completely unlike the stringy white on the older man's head. The contrast especially stood out since Hank was resting, head in arms, on the pillow next to his Dad. He had changed out of his uniform in favour of loose casual clothes, not unlike some of the stuff she saw in Kristoff's dresser. She watched him prop up his elbows and lock his hands. He looked to the sky and mouthed a prayer before getting up and kissing the old man's forehead. The soldier pulled up a nearby chair and sat next to the bed, grabbing his father's hand gently.

"Good morning, Dad," he started, "I see you slept through the night. Good, I was worried." He leaned back and crossed his legs. "I want you to know that ice is the scariest thing in the world. It's powerful, dangerous, cold, beautiful…not fun to have all over your legs. I don't know how Elsa can stand it." He coughed. "Sorry, Dad. Queen Elsa." He looked at her picture on the wall and smiled. "You would like working for her, Dad. It's too bad you never got to. I'm glad you got me this job, it keeps me going. I know you understand me leaving you to go to work; I get focused when I'm in the uniform. I understand why you kept such great pride in it." He frowned. "You would've taken a belt to me if you saw the state I went in to the castle yesterday. I just…I needed to be there. To clear my head. It worked but next time I think I'll just play around out back in the fields. I don't want to embarrass myself in front of her again."

The old man opened his eyes slowly. Hank jumped off his chair, a big smile on his face. He gripped the hand in his tighter. Anna choked up at the sight, letting a quick noise out of her throat. She watched Hank slowly deflate as his father closed his eyes and fell asleep once again. He gently placed the old hand on the bed and started to leave the room. "I'll be right back Dad, someone is at the door."

Anna gasped and tried to jump out of her hiding spot but her skirt got stuck on a branch. She hit the hard ground and struggled to crawl herself out of her predicament and get away but it was no use. She laid out her arms, shut her eyes tight, and waited for Hank to yell at her.

To her surprise, she felt her dress become untangled with the bush. Two strong hands grabbed her below the armpits and lifted her to her feet. She opened her eyes and saw a tired smile on the man's face.

"How much did you see?" he asked. Anna chose to throw her arms around him in response. He wrapped his own arms around her and gave her a quick squeeze.

"I didn't know. I'm so sorry," she apologized.

"No big deal," he said. "I thought you knew, I figured Elsa would tell you."

Anna shook her head. "No, Elsa's been acting weird recently. I'm worried she's reverting back to the old her."

Hank swirled his jaw around. "We can't have that. New Elsa is wonderful. I should apologize."

"For what?" Anna asked angrily. "You have been acting better than expected considering your situation. She's been less than a good friend in this whole thing. She won't even come over here and see you."

"Why would she do that?" Hank asked. "I didn't invite her."

Anna felt dumbfounded. She also felt extremely guilty for eavesdropping. She also felt slightly irritated that he had just hit her with Elsa's answer, which meant her elder was probably right. _Those two had to stop spending so much time together_, she thought,_ they think as one_.

"Don't apologize," Hank said, getting an idea of her guilt from her expression. He looked back towards the house for a moment, contemplating. He turned to the younger girl thoughtfully. "Do you want to go see him?"

"No," Anna answered quickly. "I mean, I don't want to trouble you any more than I already have. I…I know what it's like to lose a parent. I hope you don't have to suffer too long."

"Thanks, Princess Anna. I really do appreciate it," he said. "Even if you weren't exactly welcome here in the first place." She blushed and looked to her feet.

"I guess I'll be taking my leave now. I don't want to keep you."

Hank nodded and started walking back to the house. "Tell your sister that I'm not mad about breakfast." He started to go in the house before turning around again. "Or the whole freezing me thing." He walked inside to go to his father, leaving Anna with a soft smile on her face.

* * *

Now, he didn't plan on following her to her room. He was just looking to have some fun. He also didn't plan on throwing his arm at the door so that he could keep it open just a crack. He just wanted to see what was wrong with his friend. He didn't mean to sit there on the floor for hours listening; he just wanted to be there for support. He didn't mean to slip open the door a bit more, he just wanted to see as well as hear.

Olaf didn't mean to just let to her cry.

He just didn't know what to do.

He took another look around the bedroom. The curtains near the bed were frozen solid. The windows were so cold they cracked, but any summer heat collided immediately with the frigid air in the room leaving a thin sheet of fog all over the floor. Snow was piled up in the corners of the room and blew around like the calm storm in a snow globe. Millions of unique snowflakes died instantly as they hit the ground, either dissolving into nothing or joining with the others to create a great mass of white. Icy patterns covered the floor and walls all swirling from one central point. Elsa sat in the middle of the room, knees hugged tightly to her chest, weeping softly into her arms. Wedged between her thighs was a small painting of her parents. It was a reproduction of their famous royal portrait and Olaf knew that she kept it on the bedside table in her room, only setting it out while she slept.

Every once in a while she would let out a sob or a whine but she hadn't spoken since getting in there. Olaf watched her back in silence, wondering the kind of pain she felt. She was kind of his mother so to understand he tried to imagine losing her.

…

He stopped.

…

_So that's why she's crying so much_, he thought. His eyes drooped lower on his face and his hair-stick fell forward a bit. He looked through the open door at his friend once again.

"I miss them so much," Elsa sobbed to herself.

With that, the snowman closed the door as quietly as he could, walking away to leave her in peace.


	4. Friendship Delivery

Kristoff loaded the last of his ice blocks onto the sleigh and wiped the sweat off his brow. His back ached and biceps burned but that was a sign of a hard day's work. He loved the hurt. It made him feel like he was earning his pay.

"I don't think you have enough!" he heard a shrill voice complain from the other side of his ice tower. He looked at just how much ice he was bringing in today and realized it was quite a lot. He looked to his buddy hastened to the front of the sleigh. Poor Sven was sweating bullets.

"Maybe I went overboard with orders," Kristoff admitted.

"Maybe you just have a lot on your mind," Anna suggested. She popped out from the top of the ice stack.

"How did you get up there?" he wondered aloud.

"I climbed." She attempted to stand up but slipped and fell directly into Kristoff's arms. "My hero!"

Kristoff rolled his eyes and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. She did outlandish things like that often in some schemes to get him to kiss her. Hand stuck in a tree, knot in her hair, tongue stuck to a pole, slipping on ice. Mundane stuff like that. His favourite was 'Elsa forbids me from leaving my room until I'm loved' just because of how out of character it was for the Queen. _She could just ask if she wants a kiss that bad_, he thought.

"Do you really think Sven can carry all of this?" Anna asked.

Kristoff frowned. "He used to do even more in his younger days." This elicited a loud noise from the reindeer. "See, he agrees."

"I can lift all of this while balancing you on my antlers, Anna!" 'Sven' said.

Anna giggled. "Okay then, let's get back home."

Kristoff helped her onto the sleigh and took the reins. A light flick and Sven was on his way, slowly at first but soon, finding the strength of his youth, he trudged along like a warrior. Kristoff smiled, hoping that his buddy still had a lot more left in the tank.

As they went down the mountain Anna began removing her winter gear, starting with her cloak and ending with her mittens. Kristoff couldn't help his eyes from wandering to the rough cut diamond ring on her finger. She caught his eyes and grinned.

"Admiring your work, Mr. Bjorgman?" she teased. He had found the diamond himself on one of his harvesting trips. He brought it to his family who helped him cut it for a ring and make moulds for the gold. It took him almost a moth of tries but he handmade Anna's engagement ring. She was so happy when he presented it. It was one of his happiest memories and made all the work worth it.

"Can't help it, Mrs. Bjorgman. That is a very nice ring, you should wear it all the time."

Anna swirled it around on her finger. Kristoff remembered where he was and turned his attention back to where he was going.

"I don't want to tell everyone yet," she said for what felt like the millionth time to Kristoff.

"I know," he said. He didn't understand though.

"Especially with the way Elsa has been recently. The other day I woke up and it was snowing throughout the castle."

Kristoff grit his teeth. He looked angry but Anna knew that meant he was nervous. "Maybe she just needs a vacation?"

"She would never take one," Anna assured. "She won't even leave her duties to visit her best friend in a time of need."

Kristoff frowned. "She's just scared, Anna. You know that Captain Eriksson can be a tough guy to read sometimes. Who knows what's wrong with him. Maybe that's what's bothering her?"

Anna shook her head. "Olaf told me he saw her weeping over a picture of our parents a couple nights ago." Her eyes widened. "Wait, maybe she won't go to visit Hank because of that."

"What?" Kristoff was confused.

"Hank's father is dying, don't tell anyone," Kristoff's face went blank when he realized the details of that were not public. He was pretty sure he had already told a kitchen hand or two when they inquired about 'the Queen's lapdog'. Elsa telling him about it obviously wasn't her best decision. "I have to talk to Elsa about this later. She can't shut herself out. It's not what our parents would want."

Kristoff was uncomfortable with the topic. The sleigh rounded the final hill and he saw Arendelle was close. "Time for deliveries!" he chimed, changing the subject. Anna smiled and nodded.

They went to every house on Kristoff's list delivering the blocks of ice. They seemed especially pleased that he brought the Princess with them. Every stop she would have a nice conversation with the people and play with their children or try an offered cookie. Kristoff would hang back by the sleigh, hoping his ice wouldn't melt as his fiancé did her thing. She was very sociable, the definite favourite of the royal sisters with the younger citizens of Arendelle. Soon the last block was unloaded and Kristoff's pockets were once again lined with money. Sven looked relieved to be rid of the weight. Kristoff pulled a carrot out of his jacket and threw it to his friend. He swallowed it whole.

"Can we make one last stop?" Anna asked sweetly, skipping back to the sleigh, her mouth full of offered chocolates. Sven collapsed on the road defiantly but Kristoff had none of it.

"Of course," Kristoff replied. "Where?"

"I want to check on Hank."

Kristoff cringed remembering the awkwardness of his last visit. "Okay," he said, unable to deny his woman anything she wanted, "But don't you think he'll want to be left alone?"

"I know he doesn't," Anna said. Kristoff shrugged and got in the sleigh. Sven groaned annoyingly and started off to the far edge of town. Kristoff watched the landscape go by as they went, enjoying the view of the snowy mountains around the kingdom. As houses changed to fields he knew they were close. Sven stopped in front of the modest home of Arendelle's most recognizable guard. It's amazing how much fame a man can get by spending any sort of time with royalty. Everyone in town knew who Kristoff was, much to his dismay. Some of the ruder subjects often argued that he should give them ice for free since he can just go 'bugger his girlfriend for a penny' if he needed money. It's a good thing he knew the guards, or he would have a lot of physical altercations in his record.

Anna popped out of the sleigh and ran to the door, lightly knocking it. Kristoff followed her slowly. He expected a long wait because of the last time he came here. To his surprise, Captain Eriksson was opening the door before he made his way to the entrance.

"Good afternoon, Hank!" Anna greeted. She embraced him in a tight hug.

"Same to you, Anna," he hugged her back and let go. He nodded at Kristoff. "Bjorgman."

Kristoff smiled and nodded himself. Hank ran a hand through his hair. It was just as unruly as last time and his beard was getting thicker. It wasn't curling or anything but it was noticeably getting long. He was wearing a tight brown tunic with the Arendelle crest dyed into it. It was nice and Kristoff wanted one.

"We came to talk to you!" Anna explained. She smiled brightly.

"Why?" the soldier deadpanned. _What a guy_.

Anna deflated a little. "To, uhh, to see how our friend is doing?"

He nodded and stepped out of the doorway, closing the door behind him.

"Is everything at the castle okay?" Hank asked. Kristoff wondered why he could care about that with everything else going on.

"Elsa's not the best," Anna answered. "She's hiding from everyone. I'm worried."

Hank scratched at his beard. "You should talk with her, Anna, maybe she needs to get out of the place for a while."

Kristoff smiled satisfactorily. Exactly what he suggested. Anna stomped on his foot.

"Enough about other people, how are you doing?" Anna insisted.

The soldier shrugged. "Fine. I've been worse." Anna seemed satisfied with that answer. "Does Elsa know that you're engaged?"

Kristoff paled. Anna sputtered some gibberish about how he could know until he pointed at the ring on her finger.

"That rock was digging into my back when you hugged me."

Anna blushed. She usually took her ring off when she was going out in public. Kristoff wondered how many other people had noticed the ring and if it would be the talk of the small town. Gossip is a virus in a place where everyone knows each other. Hank stood at attention, waiting patiently for an answer.

"No, she doesn't," Kristoff answered. "Anna doesn't want to tell her."

Hank swirled his jaw. "She doesn't like secrets, Anna. You can't keep this in for too long."

"She already has," Kristoff mumbled. Anna elbowed him in the stomach.

Hank smirked at the exchange. "I'm going to go back inside," he said. "Thanks for coming to see me. Goodbye."

Anna smiled. "Bye, Hank!"

Kristoff smiled too, "See you later, Captain Eriksson."

The guard nodded with a smile and went back into his house. The minute he had the door closed Anna squeed.

"That's a scary noise," Kristoff observed.

"I knew it, Kristoff!" Anna whispered excitedly. "He wants Elsa to come see him."

Kristoff crinkled his brow. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure!" Anna scoffed. "He said that she needs to get out of the castle."

Kristoff shrugged, reserved to letting his girlfriend be right at all times.

"I'm going to start pestering her to get out here," Anna declared. Kristoff shrugged again and went back to his sleigh. He wanted to be back in the castle stables eating carrots and hanging out with Sven. Maybe even Olaf.

"This is great!" Anna yelled. "This will fix all of our problems!"

"Except for the whole 'secret engagement' thing," Kristoff reminded her. Anna pretended not to hear him.


	5. Just a Bump in the Road

Elsa considered turning around. She was really busy, you know. The Queen had a lot of work to do at all times. But, she knew that all the urgent stuff had been dealt with and that her advisors could cover the rest. Anna hadn't stopped bothering her about this, and made her promise that she would do it. So she continued on, despite her unease.

She was dressed in a purple skirt with a black blouse. Not the most regal of attire but it would work for the fields. Her hair was tied back in a simple pony tail held together with an ice clasp in the shape of olive branches. She was wearing black flats to walk in and green stockings for decency.

She came across the small farm on the outskirts of town just past high noon. She could have gotten there quicker if she took a horse or carriage but felt like walking today. She took a moment to breath in the atmosphere. A little gate surrounded the property; it had obviously been mended in multiple places over the years. A modest sized apple tree was in front of the house that looked many years younger than the wood of the building. The home itself was a simple affair, four walls and a roof, with a few windows and a door. She heard the sounds of a hoe scraping dirt coming from behind the house so she climbed over the fence and made her way towards the noise.

He was wearing his uniform boots with brown slacks. The pants were obviously too nice for use in the fields but showed the wear and tear of everyday work. His shirt was deposited on the ground nearby and the sweat of a hard day's work covered his lean frame. His hair was thrown back in the usual way but, unusually, the beard remained. He plowed a few more spots before he noticed her watching him.

They looked at each other for a minute or two in silence. Breaking the tension, he stuck the hoe in the ground and picked up his shirt. He wiped his brow with the garment then threw it over his chest. He ran a hand through his hair and stayed in place, balancing on the handle of the tool.

"Good afternoon, Captain Eriksson," Elsa greeted.

"Your majesty," he answered with a quick bow. She rolled her eyes at the formality. "You look good today. I've never seen your hair like that."

"I thought about trying something new," she explained. "You look good too."He raised an eyebrow and smirked knowingly. He was like a human lie detector sometimes. "Well, you look better," she finished.

He scratched the hair on his chin obnoxiously. "Thanks."

Elsa looked around and saw a bag of seeds next to Hank and two full rows of tilled and planted field behind him. Small stocks of wheat were sprouting sporadically from places in the field. "I didn't know you farmed," she said.

"Most of your soldiers do," Hank revealed. "Have to have something to do when you have days off or when there is no immediate threat to the kingdom. Rye, barley, wheat, corn; it doesn't grow itself."

The Queen nodded and blushed, embarrassed at how little she knew about the people in her employ. She watched him grab the bag behind him and fill the land he had just plowed with seeds. He pulled the hoe out of the ground and quickly scrapped dirt back to its original place. He threw the tool in the general direction of the house and started walking over to the well. "Wait!" Elsa called out. He stopped in his tracks and looked genuinely curious.

She swirled her hands around and conjured up a small snow storm that rained lightly on the crops. The tiny flakes dissolved into water immediately upon hitting the warm summer earth and bathed the seeds in a nutritious life force. Hank watched in awe as what could be nearly an hour of work was done in minutes. When she was done, Elsa dissolved the storm and walked closer to her friend.

"Thanks," he said. He was still looking at the freshly watered rows of crops, the smile on his face nearly hidden by his moustache.

"It was my pleasure," Elsa replied. She clasped her hands together and smiled. They stood like that for a moment; Hank looking at his fields, Elsa looking at him, until the soldier broke the silence by finishing the walk to his well. He pulled up a bucket of water and used it to wash his face and hands.

"I needed to keep myself busy," he said, motioning with his head towards the fields. "I was going to go into work but that didn't turn out so well last time."

Elsa cringed inwardly. Anna told her he held no ill will but the way he spoke made her feel guilty anyways. He dropped the bucket next to the well and walked to the door on the back of the house.

"Would you like to come in?"

Elsa nodded and followed him inside. The door led into the kitchen, which was about a quarter of the size of her room. A wood furnace was attached to the far wall and handmade cupboards adorned the rest of them. They were painted white and looked good against the tan paint of the room. A small table with four chairs was in the centre of the room and a half eaten loaf of bread was at a place setting. She recognized the crates on the floor as the ones she sent over. The blankets were pulled off and items were removed from them as needed. She was glad he actually put the supplies to use. Hank leaned against one of the counters and looked at her. His eyes showed pain, fear, and sorrow. They were the same as hers when she was alone.

"How is he?" she asked.

Hank shrugged. "Almost there, I think. I don't know how much longer he can sleep before his body decides not to wake up."

Elsa nodded. "Do…do you feel like you've been able to properly say goodbye?"

He looked directly into her eyes. She knew exactly what he wanted to say, as if his gaze bore a hole in her head and deposited the knowledge in her brain by hand. She felt tears gather at the bottom of her eyes, a familiar pain gripping her heart. She stepped over and took his hand in hers, more for her own support than to show him some. He squeezed and used the connection to lead her out of the room. They moved from room to room until Elsa stopped, realizing where they were going. He looked at her curiously.

"I don't want to intrude," she lied. She was afraid.

"Please, Elsa."

She chewed her lip. Did she really want to go in there and possibly revisit old pain tenfold worse than she did the previous nights? No, she didn't. But Hank was her friend and Anna had taught her a long time ago that friends are more important than oneself.

"Okay," she exhaled.

He opened the door and stepped aside, a motion for her to go first. She smoothed out her skirt and walked through the entry. She looked around at her surroundings, amazed by the accuracy to the real barracks at the castle. She stopped her gaze at the portrait of herself and her eyes widened. It was very beautiful.

"I had it commissioned," Hank explained. "Out of all those portraits he's most proud of you, he feels like he actually protected you throughout your young life." She smiled, hot tears threatening to burn her eyelids if they weren't released. She held them back.

He pulled a chair out for her and she took her place next to the old man in the bed. He looked quite a bit like Hank, to her. She saw a frail old hand sticking out of the side of the covers and she took it in both of hers, doing the best she could to warm it in her icy embrace.

"Dad," Hank started. "I present to you her majesty, Queen Elsa of Arendelle."

The man on the bed's chest continued to rise and fall. Elsa held the hand tighter, trying to will some of her own body heat into the clammy appendage in hers. She had never tried to make anything warmer before, only less cold. The experience was odd. She kept holding on and soon old eyes slowly started to creak open. She heard Hank give a sharp intake of breath behind her.

"He hasn't woken up in a whole day, I was getting scared," he explained.

Elsa couldn't move her sight from that in front of her. The man turned his head slowly to the girl and just looked for a few moments, a small smile on his face. Elsa smiled back. He opened his mouth but only heavy breaths came out at first. The suspense was killing her. Soon he found his words.

"Queen Elsa…" His voice was hoarse and deep. It was easy to tell he hadn't spoken in a while. Hank was quick to bring a glass of water to his mouth. The older man took a small sip. "Pardon my condition. I don't think we've met formally. I'm Lieutenant William Eriksson."

Elsa giggled inappropriately realizing that when she promoted Hank she made him outrank his father. She cleared her throat and sat up straight. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Lieutenant Eriksson."

"Call me Will please," he spoke slowly. Hank helped him again with some water. "I don't think I have much time left, so I don't want to waste it on rank."

"Fair enough," she answered. "Hank has told me a lot about you. I understand that you were a wonderful soldier for my parents."

"Hank?" he asked with a throaty laugh. "Henriks lying. I wasn't that great at my job." Elsa turned towards her friend with a questioning gaze. He only shrugged in response. "The only reason I kept my post was because of the kindness of your parents and their patience with me."

"Well, your years of service and ability to rise above the call of need when I did something stupid was commendable."

"No offense, Queen Elsa," he chuckled. "How old are you now? Twenty-one? Twenty-two? You're going to do tons of stupid things. That was just a bump in the road."

She blushed. Hank laughed.

"Henrik!" the old man snapped. She watched her friend snap straight to attention. "Do not laugh at the Queen."

"Yes, sir," he answered obediently.

Will smiled. "He's such a good boy," he said directly to Elsa. "His mother would be so proud of the man he's become." Elsa watched a tear form and fall down the old man's cheek. She wiped it away with her hand and felt her own tears clawing their way back.

"He's my best friend," she confided with an honest smile. She squeezed the old hand even tighter. "He loves you very much."

The old man smiled and wiggled around in his bed. She watched as he struggled to reach a shaky hand over and caress her cheek.

"You're even more beautiful than the picture. Thank you for coming to see me."

Elsa finally started crying. Hot tears flowed down her cheeks and froze before they could hit the ground. "It was my pleasure, Will." She pulled one of her hands away and balled it into a fist. When she opened it again there was a broach of the Arendelle crest made of solid crystal ice. She reached over and pinned it on his shirt, directly over the heart. "If Arendelle had an army of men like you we would be want for nothing."

Will looked at his broach with a proud smile and wet eyes. "Thank you, Queen Elsa. It means more than you could know. Now, I'm sorry but I'm getting tired. Can I talk to my son for a time?"

She nodded. "Of course." She looked at Hank. "I'll be right outside."

He smiled at her and took her place on the chair. She left the room and closed the door to give them privacy. She walked to the parlour and took a seat on the sofa. She felt surprisingly happy. Her talk with the older man energized her, if anything. She had stopped crying and the tears weren't even threatening to show up. The door to the bedroom opened and before she could turn around Hank had taken the seat next to her.

"That was the most he's spoke in days," he explained. "Thank you so much, Elsa. That was very nice."

"Don't thank me, just enjoy it." She caught a tear fall from his eye and disappear into his beard. She had never seen him cry before. He shook his head quickly as if he was making an effort to clear it.

"Would you like something to drink?"

"Yes, thank you." She followed him into the kitchen and took a seat at the table. She was very careful not to get any of the crumbs from the bread loaf still there on her clothes.

"What would you like? I have water, and whiskey."

She giggled. "Whiskey is fine."

He eyed her suspiciously. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

He raised an eyebrow before shrugging and grabbing two glasses and the bottle from a cupboard. He poured the dark liquid, filling both glasses halfway.

"I thought you said we shouldn't make a habit of drinking together," he teased.

"Twice isn't a habit, Henrik. Besides, we're not in public."

She clinked her glass with his in a silent toast and took a drink of the beverage. The whiskey cut down her throat, lighting her on fire the whole way down. She choked and slammed her glass on the table. Hank laughed heartily at her distress and downed the entirety of his own glass.

"What is that?!" she yelled, gasping for breath. She shot cold air down her mouth to try and dull the burn.

"Homemade," Hank explained. "What do you think all the crops in the back are for?"

She gingerly took another sip to see if it got better. It didn't.

"I'm sorry, I can't drink this."

"That's alright, I didn't expect you to." He took her glass and drank the remaining contents. His face twisted as the last of it went down. She wondered just how much of it he had drank in the past few weeks. She never smelled it on him, so at least he wasn't drinking before or at work. It wasn't like he would be able to drink at work anyways, he was always in her sight.

They were silent for a while. Elsa rapped her hands against the table nervously. Hank swirled his jaw around and drank a bit more. Only time knew how long they sat there together until Elsa stood up and excused herself, promising to visit tomorrow.


	6. A Close Shave

"_I think we should tell her, Anna."_

_The princess' juice got stuck on its way down her throat, leaving her choking. Kristoff rushed to her side and began rubbing her back. She swallowed and set her glass down on the picnic blanket._

"_Why?" Anna insisted. "It's still so early."_

"_Anna, it's been seven months!" Kristoff reminded._

"_I know," Anna said, "So what's one month more?"_

_Kristoff looked down at his hands and twidled his thumbs. "Anna, I want to be able to show the whole world how much I love you. I want to start our lives together. Are…are you embarrassed of me or something?"_

"_No!" Anna assured. "Kristoff, I love you, I'm just afraid of how she'll take it."_

"_There's no way to know until you ask her."_

_Anna chewed her lip and focused her gaze on her diamond ring._

The jewel sparkled in the light of the throne room. Why did Elsa have to be here? That stupid chair always made her so intimidating. Anna looked up at her sister and felt her heart sink at the neutral expression on the Queen's face.

"You're engaged?" Elsa asked redundantly.

"Yes," Anna whispered, remembering the last time she did this.

"Hmmm," Elsa mused. Anna watched the Queen uncross her legs then cross them the other way. "Aren't you a bit young to get married?"

"I'm twenty years old, Elsa!" Anna found herself yelling. "You're only three years older than me, who are you to tell me about age?"

Elsa winced at the attack. Her sister was right. She rapped her fingers against the arm of her throne. "Are you sure you've been dating long enough?"

Anna raised an eyebrow. "Are you trying to tell me, in your infinite aged wisdom, that three years isn't a long time?"

Elsa chewed her bottom lip. She was running out of nervous habits. "Are…are you sure you love him?"

Anna recoiled in surprise. "O-of course!" she answered, hurt clear in her tone. "I love him with everything I am."

Elsa hung her head and closed her eyes, taking deep breaths. She mumbled something that Anna couldn't hear. The younger girl walked closer to the throne.

"What did you say?"

"I said," Elsa started, clearing her throat, "You can't marry him."

"What!?" Anna screamed.

"He has no title," Elsa explained, trying her hardest not to break down. With a deceptively steady voice she continued, "It would be political suicide for Arendelle."

"I don't give a damn!" Anna yelled.

"Anna, please!" Elsa urged, motioning with her hands for her sister to quiet.

"No! What is wrong with you? You _like_ Kristoff, I don't see the problem!"

"This doesn't apply to just you, Anna!" Elsa defended. "Neither of us can throw ourselves around for love! We have a duty to the people of Arendelle to see this kingdom prosper and that would be unfair to them. Suitors form our most respected trade partners would be horrified to find that I let the Princess, one of Arendelle's most valuable commodities, marry a commoner!"

"Commoner!?" Anna shook her head in disgust. "If they're so important to you, why haven't you married any of these suitors?"

Elsa stood still in silence. There was no real answer to that question.

Anna stomped in the direction of the door. "This is selfish, Elsa!" she called back. Elsa held out her hand as if it would stop her sister's exit. She tried to call out for her but couldn't find the words.

* * *

She sunk into Hank's couch and took a sip of her coffee. She brought some over for him, deeming that a liquid diet of whiskey and water was not appropriate for a man who's living was dependent on him being able to defend things. He seemed appreciative of her bringing it but it was hard to tell with him sometimes.

"I think I went about telling her the wrong way, but I'm not wrong," she said, finishing her story.

Hank nodded. He drank some of the coffee in his own mug and swished it around his mouth before swallowing. She didn't think he liked it. "Well," he started, taking the spot next to her on the sofa, "What's the real reason you were so adamant in your denial?"

She crooked an eyebrow. He narrowed his eyes and bore into her, the gaze that can dig right into a soul. She sighed. "I just salvaged my relationship with her a few years ago. I think I'm just afraid that she'll leave me alone if she goes off and marries someone."

Hank chuckled. Elsa was not amused. "You don't have to worry about that with Bjorgman," Hank assured. "The man already practically lives in the castle, your sister will be around. Plus, you'll never be alone. You've got me."

Elsa smiled at that. She hugged her hands around her mug, enjoying the warmth of the coffee. She took another drink. "It doesn't change the fact that it is a bad idea for Arendelle. The value of her marriage is really high to foreign kingdoms."

"Would you marry a foreign dignitary?" Hank asked dryly.

"No," Elsa answered quickly.

The soldier nodded sternly. "Then stop being a hypocrite. Your relationship with your sister is more important than something as small as a kingdom. Stop treating her like the damned wheat in my backyard."

Elsa blushed. She never really considered it like that, but the comparison was apt. For the first time in a while she was humbled. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize to me, you didn't break my heart." He tried another sip of his coffee and his lips twisted. He definitely didn't like it. "How about you just give Bjorgman a title?"

"What?" she asked herself more than Hank. She hadn't thought of that.

The guard shrugged. "Make him a Duke, hell, make him a general," he suggested. "There are easy ways around this when you're the Queen. Make something up if you have to, you've done it before."

She chuckled at the reminder that she already did give Kristoff a title. Nobody seemed to like it.

"I might do that, Hank," Elsa said. "Can I maybe speak with your father about it?"

Hank rolled his eyes, something that struck Elsa as very odd. "He might not be much help on this, but go ahead." He placed his mug on the table in front of the couch. "I'm gonna stay out here and relax a little, I haven't slept much."

Elsa gave him a curious look before smiling and getting up. "Okay, Hank. I'll wake you up before I leave."

* * *

Hank was eating in the castle's main dining room. A large feast was laid out before him with all of his favourite foods. Chicken, pork, potatoes, bread; all the staples of a typical Eriksson meal. He was pleased to see that he was enjoying the meal with his father.

"Eat up, Hank," Will urged. "You'll need the strength." Hank nodded and dug in to his filled plate. It was delicious, just like his Mom used to make. While he was eating, Anna and Kristoff made their way into the hall and took a seat, filling their own plates high.

"Hello, Hank!" Anna greeted cheerfully, "Isn't this great?" Hank nodded in agreement and continued his food.

The food was almost finished when Hank decided to speak what was on his mind. "Where's Elsa?"

Everyone looked at him solemly. He felt fear, an unusual thing. Anna opened her mouth to speak but was silenced by Kristoff's lips. The pair were making out almost violently in front of him. He looked to his Dad but found the elder not even noticing the sexual display.

"I think you need to leave, Hank," Will suggested. He pointed to the door. "I'm sorry."

Hank was confused, but wasn't going to start defying his father. He stood up and walked over to the door. He took one last look at the table before going through. Will looked sad and the Princess was still making out with her boyfriend. Kristoff started to unbutton her dress prompting Hank to run through the door.

Inside was Elsa's room, except it was emptied of the little amount of possessions she had. Light snow fell inside and front covered all of the walls. In the centre of the room was a blanket with a lump under it. Hank ran over quickly and threw off the blanket. He choked up.

Elsa was lying on the floor, hands at her sides. She was wearing her famous ice dress but her hair was in the ponytail from a few days ago. Her pale complexion was no more; instead she had a blue tint to her body. Her chest was not moving. Hank couldn't move a muscle. He stared at the corpse, unable to comprehend what exactly was in front of him. He took a step forward then jumped back when a wind kicked up sending the snow around in flurries.

The dress on Elsa's body began dissolving. The sleeves slid off her shoulders and the bodice split open, showing a giant scar in the shape of a snowflake covering her breasts and stomach. The skin around the scar was loose and wrinkled. The snowflake split open with a wet peeling noise and Elsa's skin fell away. Soldiers with a multitude of uniforms from many different kingdoms began piling out of her body, leaving an empty husk behind. The troops surrounded Hank and brandished long swords of all different shapes and sizes. He couldn't move his eyes away from the pile of skin and platinum blonde hair where his Queen used to be. He stopped breathing.

_Hank?_

"You killed her, Hank," one of the soldiers said in a demonic voice.

"You killed her," another said in a higher pitch.

_Henrik?_

One soldier picked up the pile of skin and threw it at Hank's feet. "She's dead and do you know what? She didn't even care about you, she told me so. She hated you."

_Hank!_

"How does that make you feel?"

_HANK!_

* * *

She slapped her friend as hard as she could. Definitely not the most conventional way to get someone to breathe but she had no idea what to do. He sat up with a start and inhaled sharply. She moved away quickly to give him space. He took a moment to catch his breath then ran a hand through his hair. He looked around the room, his eyes stopped at her.

"Elsa?" he asked. She nodded. He seemed to get his bearings rather quickly after that, almost immediately. He looked behind her out the window. "It's morning." She nodded again. "Why are you still here?"

"What? Do you have company coming over?" She sounded annoyed.

"No, no," he explained. "It's just-wait, where did my shirt go?"

Elsa lifted her arm; his shirt was clutched tightly in her hand. "I took it off."

"Wha-nevermind. Whatever. We need to get you back to the castle, they'll be worried."

She put her hand on his chest. "Calm down, Hank. It's not a big deal."

He relaxed a bit but remained visibly tense. "Are you sure?"

"Entirely," she assured. He nodded then laid back into the couch. The sweat on his brow was drying.

"Why did you take off my clothes while I was sleeping?" he questioned.

"Just your shirt," she corrected. She uncrossed then re-crossed her legs quickly. "You were sweating profusely so I took it off. I would've used my powers but I don't feel comfortable using them on you because of what happened last time then later you stopped breathing and I got scared so I started to call for you but you wouldn't wake up so I kind of slapped you."

He blinked, trying to take in that sentence. He seemed to piece it together word by word before getting to the end. "Were you watching me sleep?"

She blushed deep red. "Yes. Sorry. It's just that you sleep so restlessly I get worried."

"Sleep? Plural?" he noted, "Wait, you've done this before?"

She blushed even deeper, something Hank was sure was only possible because of how pale her complexion is. "When you stayed at the castle. I was worried about you after hurting you so badly so I slipped into the room to sit with you for a while after you fell asleep. You started to get restless then too but I held your hand and you calmed down. That didn't work this time."

He did nothing. Elsa started to fear just how long he was stationary until he finally spoke. "Thanks, Elsa."

She smiled warmly. "After all you've done for me? It's my duty as Queen to be there for you."

He nodded, if a little reluctantly. "How was your talk with my Dad?"

Elsa shook her head. "He was asleep when I walked in and stayed that way through the night. I sat with him for an hour or so before coming in here to watch over you."

Hank seemed somewhat satisfied with that answer. He smiled and scratched at his facial hair. Elsa crinkled her nose. He caught this.

"Do you really hate my beard?" he asked, getting right to it.

She frowned, realizing she was caught. "Not hate…It's just that it kind of bothers me."

He nodded affirmatively. "I'll have to shave when I go back to work anyways. I think I'll be okay now, not too shaky. Dad is getting better. Could you just freeze my throat or something if I slit it?"

"You're going to shave right now?" she asked. It was odd; he had always been very private about his personal habits. This was one of the only times he ever even talked openly about them. _Well, I did just remove his shirt without asking_, she thought, _I've probably crossed that line_.

"Is that okay with you?"

"I-,uh, yes," she said. "It's just unexpected." He smiled at her.

Hank got off the couch and started for the room next to his father's. Elsa curiously followed him into the room and was pleasantly surprised they could both fit in there comfortably. It was about the size of the kitchen with plain walls and a white ceiling. A large window with wooden shutters let light into the room, it faced the east to catch the morning rays. A wash-stand and a tub were situated to Elsa's left, a mirror and counter to her right. The counter held a wooden cup with toothbrushes, a box of dentifrice, a brush, some shaving soap, and a folded up straight razor.

Hank picked up the razor and unfolded it carefully, inspecting the blade before setting it back down. She watched intently as he lathered up his beard with the soap. He didn't pay much mind to where it went as long as it touched his entire beard. She imagined it tasted terrible. She had never seen a man shave before, not even at the castle barber. Whenever she had her hair trimmed it was always alone. He grabbed his razor again, bringing it to his face with a steady hand. He started at the bottom of his neck and started scraping the cream.

"Damnit!" he screamed grabbing a nearby towel and quickly pressing it to his neck. When he pulled it away there was a light amount of blood. Elsa looked on in wonder at the unfamiliar spectacle. "I can't concentrate!" he threw his razor down hard, causing the blade to snap off the handle. The handle slid to Elsa's feet and she curiously picked it up.

He hung his head and balled his fists. Elsa frowned at his display. She held the razor handle in the palm of her open hand and concentrated. Ice started forming from the stub of a blade, making a blue replica of the old one. She reached forward and touched his chin, pushing his head up to stare straight into the mirror. She reached out her other hand with the razor towards his neck.

"What are you doing?" he recoiled. He pulled away leaving a trace of shaving soap on her finger.

"Helping you out," she answered, raising the razor so he could see it better. He looked at her incredulously.

"But, you've never done this before. Never done anything like this before."

"I can try," Elsa answered. She looked deflated by his comments. He frowned, feeling a bit guilty. He inhaled deeply and turned to face her.

"Start with my cheeks then. I don't want you to slip on your first try with that thing and put me in the ground."

She nodded, her confidence shaken, and grabbed the back of his head for support, starting to feel really uncomfortable with just how much she had touched him recently. She never really touched anyone at all.

She put the blade of the ice-razor flush with his cheek and began moving it down. She was careful with how much pressure she applied, using just enough to cut the hair but not too much to leave a mark. She kept going and after she finished a good amount of that cheek she stopped.

"How am I doing?"

"Really good, actually," Hank admitted. "Keep it up."

"I'm good with my hands," she explained with a wink. "Really good with ice. Now hold still."

Elsa grabbed him again by the back of the head. She pushed his body up to the counter and leaned against it for support. Bringing the razor down once again she began on the other cheek. His skin tightened from the cold of the blade, making the hair cut out easier and cleaner. Soon, everything above his chin was hairless.

"Are you okay?" she asked before continuing.

"Yes," he answered. His tone wavered. _This is man is really afraid of getting his throat slit_, she couldn't help but think. She used her free hand to grab his and place it on her waist. He blinked noticeably.

"Use me as support," she explained. He slowly moved his other hand to her waist and held on to her. Using her index finger, she pushed his head up to give her a better angle. She slowly brought the cold blade down and shaved his neck, taking special care near the area he cut himself. When she was done she put the blade on the counter and tilted his head back down so she could look at her work.

"Much better," she mused. She caressed his cheek quickly then moved out of his hands. "I'm going to go back to the castle. I'll come back tomorrow to see how your father is doing."

"Okay," Hank squeaked. She smiled at the realization that she made him speechless. She had never done that before. _Never before…_ She tapped her fingers against her thigh nervously.

"Goodbye, Hank," she called as she left the room. She was out of hearing range fast before he could get out a reply.


	7. A Snowman's Plight

Olaf danced his way through the courtyard, enjoying the summer sun. The snow from his gifted flurry tickled him all over, only adding to the pure joy seeded in his heart. The flowers were budding, the birds were singing, the clown mess from a couple weeks ago was almost finished being cleaned; it was a great day. He began humming a song he was working on about the joys of taxation for the townspeople until he saw Elsa walking out into Arendelle. Her movements were slow and careful and she looked troubled. At least she didn't look depressed like a few days ago. Olaf frowned and decided to do what any curious snowman would do, he ran after her.

Then he stopped.

He regretted spying on her last time so he decided to leave her in peace. He continued his dancing and singing, a bit less of a spring in his snow.

* * *

"She's been gone a whole day, Sven!" Olaf complained. Sven wanted to tell the snowman that she was probably in her room sleeping because of how goddamned early it was, but nobody understood him. Except Kristoff, sometimes. If Olaf hadn't brought the reindeer a carrot he would've pretended to be asleep and ignored his friend.

"We have to go look for her!" Olaf decided. Sven rolled his eyes knowing that no matter what he did he would be going along on this 'quest'. He stood up, all four of his old legs creaking and crackling as he did. He winced but ignored the discomfort. Arendelle needed him to be the Sven he always was.

"Come on, Sven! Let's go looking!" Olaf led the way, marching like a proud soldier. Sven shook his antlers out and followed lazily. Maybe someone would feed him later and make this all worthwhile.

They left the stables and started crossing the bridge to town. Sven occupied his short attention span by trying to eat snowflakes falling out of Olaf's cloud.

"Weeeelllll," Olaf drawled, "There are only a few places I could see Elsa being right now. Like, the chocolatier, and the theatre, and the flower shop, and the church, and town square, and the general store, and…" He kept going. Sven ignored him, knowing he would end up listing everywhere in town. The snowman wasn't dense, he knew exactly where to check first. Anna hadn't shut up about where Elsa _needs_ to be for a whole week. Sven did the only thing he knew would catch anybody's attention, hamming it up.

He made a loud noise and excitedly jumped, pointing his body in the direction of the farms at the edge of town. He wagged his tongue and nudged Olaf.

"What is it, buddy?" Olaf asked in a condescending town as if Sven was some kind of pet. He was getting too old for this shit. He nudged Olaf again, this time a little harder, knocking the carrot nose loose.

"Ahhh," Olaf picked up his nose and slid it back in as fast as he could. He cleared his throat.

"Why don't we check Captain Eriksson's house?" 'Sven' said. The reindeer was getting very tired of everyone trying to do the Kristoff thing with him. Only Kristoff ever got it right, unless it was blatantly obvious like now.

"Good idea, Sven!" Olaf congratulated. He rubbed the reindeer's head with his prickly hands. Ouch. "To Hank's house! Lead the way, buddy!" Sven walked on in the direction of the edge of town. He wished he was back at the stables, picking the fleas out of his coat.

They arrived at the rural home about twenty minutes later. Thank the Lord Arendelle was a small town. At this rate Sven figured he would be back asleep by the end of the hour.

"What a cute house!" Olaf complimented. "Also, no snow around here. Good sign, good sign." The snowman stood still just looking from the apple tree to the front door to the windows with their shutters closed. Sven smirked as best as a reindeer could. How was the endearing creation planning on figuring this out?

Olaf frowned then made his way to the back of the house. Sven followed, amused by the conundrum. There was an window with open shutters around back. Olaf bounced in joy.

"Okay, Sven," Olaf whispered, "I'm going to go look inside and check things out. If I see Elsa I'll give you this signal." He pulled one of his arms out of his body and stabbed it in the back of his head. The hand made a thumbs up. "Got it?"

Sven nodded excitedly but he really didn't care one bit. He trusted that Elsa could take care of herself. He saw some delectable wheat stalks in the fields though and decided to have a morning snack.

Olaf's whole height didn't even reach up to the window. He stood on his tip toes and found no luck. He grabbed his head with both hands and lifted it as high as he could and saw inside the room perfectly. It was a bathroom, as far as he could tell, with a wash stand and a counter. His eyes widened significantly.

Hank was leaning against the counter, held there by Elsa. One of the Queen's hands was firmly gripping his hair and she brought up the other hand to caress his cheek. His hands were resting on Elsa's waist right where the curve of her hips begins. The soldier's shirt was nowhere to be seen and Olaf marvelled at the sight. His figure was much more cut than Kristoff's round build. He had to admit that Elsa and Hank looked way more visually pleasing together than his best friends. He would have to tell Anna, she would like to know.

Elsa mouthed something while holding his cheek. He couldn't hear through the glass but if his lip reading was anything close to accurate, it was something that didn't bear repeating. He dropped his head on himself and quickly spun to look at Sven.

"I just saw something I shouldn't have." The snowman looked sobered. Sven wondered what exactly he witnessed but it didn't bother him, it was definitely none of his business.

"Let's go home," Olaf urged, running out to the road as fast as his stubby snow legs would carry him. Sven followed angrily. He didn't get enough wheat to eat and Olaf definitely wasn't going to help him out with that. What a waste of a morning.

* * *

_Author's Note_

Hello, readers! I've been silent up to this point but decided to speak up now and maybe explain a bit. I'm sorry about the short chapter, but I wanted something light and fun to break up one of the more heavy sections of the story. We're also about halfway through the story so consider this an intermission of sorts.

First off, I would like to thank everyone who is enjoying this and everyone who wrote reviews. I really appreciate the feedback and hope you find as much enjoyment in the last half as you did in the first.

Secondly, I would like to retroactively dedicate Chapter 5 ("Just a Bump in the Road") to "Guest". Happy birthday!

I have good news too. The story is finished. Complete. Done. Well, almost. I have one last paragraph to go, I'm debating on the tone I want to leave the reader with. If you haven't figured it out, I update every Wednesday and Saturday, usually late on Wednesday and early on Saturday, and this schedule will continue. This story should run right up to the end of February. I considered holding the last chapter until the blu ray release but that is a really long ways away so I won't. Maybe I'll post a bonus or something that day if I write anything else.

Now, the time for pleading. I don't know if any artists are reading the story, but I would absolutely love a new picture to use for the story cover. I can't draw well to save my life. I'm not satisfied with the image I'm using as the picture, mainly because that stock image is seen everywhere and Elsa isn't displaying an emotion appropriate to my story. I would greatly appreciate it if any of the more artistically inclined could draw the story a new cover. It would be really cool if it depicted a scene or key feature from the story too. If any reader wants to take up the challenge, send the completed art to me through a private message or put a link in a review (I think you can do that?). I will definitely put it up as the cover instantly. I'm not going to judge the art at all either, do your own take on things. If incentive is needed, I have a couple hand written pages of this story that I had to type up and I kept. I can give you those, maybe even with a brand new hand written short story about Captain Henrik Eriksson or maybe even a character of your choice if I have the time.

Thanks for reading!

AirbornAnomaly


	8. Counterproposal

Anna stomped up to Elsa's room and threw the door open with reckless abandon and without regard for privacy.

"You wanted to see me?" she spat.

Elsa looked at her sister, a pained expression carved into her beauty. She deserved this for the way she treated her only family. Anna was wearing a simple light green dress and had her hair in a bun. Stray hairs were sticking out at all ends and the dress was wrinkled to hell and back. It looked like she threw herself together this morning without a care in the world. She also looked extremely pissed off.

"Yes," Elsa said, trying not to cry, "I wanted to talk to you."

Anna frowned. "What now? Are you marrying me off in exchange for a really good horse or something?" Elsa cringed, fully realizing just how right Hank was about the situation.

"No, Anna. I'm sorry about all of that as well."

"Really?" Anna sarcastically drawled. "You're sorry for basically ruining everything I want in life?"

Elsa almost commented on how childish the younger was acting but held her tongue. "I am, Anna. Truly. After consideration I realized I was wrong."

After a moment Anna's face started to light up immediately. So quickly it had Elsa wondering just how great of an actress her sister was. "Sooo, does that mean…?"

Elsa nodded. "You can marry Kristoff. Conditionally."

Anna frowned again. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that Kristoff is going to go surveying some neutral land for me and claim it for Arendelle. Then, Kristoff will become the Baron of those lands and as a reward for his work to the crown be allowed to marry the Princess."

Anna smiled and jumped in joy. She ran over and swept up her sister in a big hug. "Oh, thank you, Elsa! Thank you so much."

Elsa happily returned the hug. She longed for this kind of moment. She was deprived of them for far too long. "It's what I should have done in the first place, Anna. I'm sorry. Tell Kristoff I'm sorry too."

"Oh, I will!" Anna broke the hug and started to leave. "He'll be so happy; I'll tell him right now!"

"Wait!" Elsa called. Anna stopped and turned around. "Close the door," Elsa commanded. "I want to talk about something else."

Anna complied and walked back over to take the chair Elsa had left out for her. The Queen looked flustered, scared, and a little bit annoyed.

"Elsa, what is it?"

The older girl uncrossed then re-crossed her legs. "I was wondering, Anna. Explain to me exactly, and in great detail, your feelings for Kristoff."

"What do you mean?" Anna asked, puzzled. "Like, what my love for him is?"

"Sure, if that's your feeling for him." Elsa looked kind of sick. Anna was getting worried.

"Well, uhh, I don't know where to start."

"Take your time," Elsa said. She had a weird fake smile. It made Anna uncomfortable.

"Would it be weird if I told you that it isn't at all like what those romance books say?" Elsa shook her head to show she didn't. "It's, like, I don't think about him all the time but when I do think about him I get happier. He makes me really happy. Nobody can bring me out of a slump like he can. He's everything I never thought I dreamed of in a man but everything I ever wanted. He's my companion. My best friend." Elsa nodded thoughtfully. "I think I understand it now that those intense feelings of need and want that I had when I was younger, those feelings for Hans… that's not love, just lust. I love Kristoff and it feels good. Does that answer your question?"

Elsa stared at her like she saw a ghost. The younger sibling felt herself start to blush. Elsa blinked and shook her head as if she had just snapped out of a trance.

"Thank you, Anna," Elsa thoughtfully said. "I'm glad we could talk and I'm excited for your wedding."

Anna smiled and gave her sister a kiss on the cheek before bouncing out of the room, presumably towards her husband-to-be. Elsa glanced out her window and sighed.

* * *

"Have I told you about my wife, Queen Elsa?"

"No, Will, not yet," Elsa replied. She was sitting on the bed with the old man and holding his hand. Hank was on the chair nearby looking as happy as she'd ever seen him. He told her that his Dad was only really coherent and sharp when she was here. She tried to be there as much as she could because of that. She would sleep at Hank's house every night if she didn't get in trouble for it last time. Kai said something to her about 'illicit time with her consort'. She didn't pay much attention.

"Well I'll tell you, your majesty, my Helena was the most beautiful woman that ever lived," Will bragged. He was lying down and his voice was rough and uneven, but he was alive. Sometimes she even forgot he was dying when she was talking to him. "Helena used to make me the best bratwurst. Hank has tried but he can't cook to save his life."

"Thanks, Dad," Hank chimed in. "I'm not cooking for you anymore."

Elsa giggled. "Don't be so mean to Hank, Will. He tries harder than anyone I've ever met. I bet he puts that much effort into food too."

"He may try, but every once in a while we fail. Hank can't cook. He'll find a wife that can though." Elsa looked at the soldier from the corner of her eye and caught a light blush on his face. "Anyways, Helena was kind and gentle. That's where the boy gets it. I would actually say that everything you like about him can be contributed to my wife."

"I agree," Hank said. Elsa slapped his wrist.

"Hank, take the Queen into the parlour and show her the painting of your mother."

The son nodded and stood, giving a motion for Elsa to follow him. He brought her to the familiar parlour and sat her down. He pulled a small painting off the wall, the only one in the house, and put it in her hands. The woman in it was pretty with long wavy brown hair. Her cheeks were sunken like Hank's but she had a pointier chin. Her eyes were green and sparkling.

"The artist didn't capture her beauty properly," Hank claimed.

"I'm sure she was wonderful."

"She was. She died when I was sixteen," Hank explained. "One cold night she took a chill and it ended her." Elsa frowned, hoping more than anything that it wasn't her fault. "It really changed my Dad's drive. He buried himself in his work. Your parents rewarded him for that with his rank. He was never more proud in his life than the day he came home and told me that he was a lieutenant. He slept with that picture and cried all night. I guess that was really the last of the great moments for my father."

Elsa felt a tear drop down her cheek. Memories of her own mother swirled around in her head and made her feel warm and happy. She was so used to pain accompanying thoughts of her parents that this was a great change of pace. Will has the right idea. There is nothing wrong with the pain, but don't let it overtake the joy that your loved ones left with you. She was glad to have Hank and his father to help her with that.

"Hank, I talked to Anna today," she said changing the topic. She could only go so long thinking about her mother before crying and she was tired of only showing that side of herself to Hank. He smiled and took the picture from her, putting it back in its place on the wall. "I took your advice, she and Kristoff are getting married. Kristoff is going to run an errand for me and become a Baron."

"I know," Hank revealed. She raised her eyebrow, silently begging for an explanation. "Bjorgman came by earlier and asked me to go with him on his survey."

Elsa's eyes widened. "What did you say?"

"I told him I'll go."

"What?!" she yelled. "What about your father?"

He ran a hand through his hair. "Ever since you've been coming to see him he's been getting better. I was hoping I could trust you to take care of him for a few days while I do this."

"Hank, I can't spend a few whole days here," Elsa warned.

"I know and I don't expect you to. Just get him fed, and keep him comfortable. I'm going with Bjorgman so that he's not out there for weeks trying to figure out how to properly survey. I can do the official stuff and he can do the heavy work."

Elsa chewed her lip. She looked at her friend then to the picture of Helena. She thought of her own parents and what they would do.

"I'll do it for you, Hank."

The soldier smiled a huge grin. "Thanks, Elsa."

She stood and held her arms out awkwardly. He looked at her like she was speaking Chinese. She kept her arms out. Realizing what she wanted he shuffled forward slowly and lightly slid his arms around her back. She hugged him tightly and felt him relax and tighten his own grip. He broke the hug and stepped back.

"That was different," Hank blurted out. Elsa narrowed her eyes.

"A few days ago I was practically straddling you while swiping a blade across your neck and you're afraid of a hug?"

"I don't know," Hank mumbled, "I'm sorry."

"It's ridiculous that we've been this close for so long and I can count on one hand how many times you've touched me," Elsa said.

"I'm being respectful!" Hank yelled. Elsa cowered back a bit from the volume. His features softened and he ran a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry," he recanted.

"I'm sorry," Elsa countered, "I might be being too…pushy."

"No," Hank replied, "You're right." He slowly reached a hand up and entwined it in her hair. He twiddled his fingers, enjoying the feeling of the silky locks flowing over them. He moved further and caressed her neck. Elsa closed her eyes and leaned into his hand. She wrapped one of her arms around his waist and pulled him in. The guard gently moved his hand out of her hair and jumped out of her grasp.

"I think that's a good start," he whispered. He coughed. She caught his eyes dart quickly to his father's room but decided not to press.

Elsa smiled but her eyes showed something else. "Yes, that is." She reached a hand up and absentmindedly rubbed the spot on her neck he was just touching. "We'll be hugging a lot more, Captain Eriksson. Get used to it!" She winked, because she hadn't laid it on heavy enough.

Hank smiled. "Kristoff and I, we're leaving from the castle tomorrow morning. I'll see you then?" he asked.

"Of course. Just let me go say goodbye to Will before I go home."

* * *

"I am so happy I could explode!"

"Don't do that," Kristoff said, "I haven't married you yet."

"Oh, but you will! Isn't that great?" Anna couldn't peel her eyes off of her homemade ring. The diamond sparkled multiple colours in the light of the candle. Kristoff laid on the edge of the bed and admired his wife. The freckles on her shoulders were barely visible in the warm light. Her strawberry blonde locks cascaded down her back wildly, reaching all the way to the curve of her rear.

"I love you so much, Anna." Kristoff couldn't help but cry a little. How he had gone from his lonely existence in the mountains to marrying the most perfect girl in the entire world he would never know. It wasn't his place to question the magic of the universe, he just thanked it every day.

"Don't get all mopey on me, Sweetie," Anna teased. "I'm the one that's supposed to cry."

"I can't help it, I'm so happy."

Anna leaned down and gave her fiancé a long, convincing kiss. "Be careful on your journey, my love."

Kristoff smiled, basking in the warmth of the kiss. "I will." He smiled cheekily. "Besides, Captain Eriksson can protect me."

Anna rolled her eyes. "You shouldn't have asked him to come with you. I think Elsa needs him right now as much as his father does."

"C'mon Anna, she's doing fine," Kristoff excused. "I won't go crazy out there trying to figure things out if I bring him. I don't think I'll be able to stand more than three days without you."

"I don't think I'll make it more than one without you!" Anna pouted.

"Then let's make the best of our time today," Kristoff suggested. "Come over here so I can cuddle you."

Anna jumped across the bed into her man's arms and snuggled comfortably in his chest. Her life was better than she ever dreamed it could be.


	9. Time Away

He was decked head to toe in ceremonial uniform. Purple dyed chainmail shirt and skirt drowned by a deep green tunic emblazoned with an embroidered crest of Arendelle. His pants were brown wool and matched the brown gloves on his hands. A sword rested in its decorated hilt on the side of his belt. A bright blue cloak with a hood was slung around his shoulders, a sign of modern Arendelle mixed in with the old. His hair was slicked back loosely, the only way he seemed to know how to style it. Elsa couldn't help but think he was beautiful, like one of the war kings of old.

Kristoff looked okay too. He was wearing mostly the same thing, just without the cloak and sword.

Elsa turned her attention back to her guard and noticed the three loops of gold wrapped around his belt to signify rank. His boots were jet black and freshly polished. The cloak was edged in white with an embroidered snowflake running down it here and there. She turned her attention to his face again and was greeted by a smirk and bright eyes.

"Good morning, Queen Elsa," he called. He gave a very traditional bow. _Damn him._

"Good morning, Captain Eriksson. You look like a painting on the castle walls," she complimented.

"Oh my gosh, Hank, you are gorgeous!" Anna yelled from her place next to her sister. Elsa felt a blush creeping up. She was going to get to that if her sister had just given her some time.

"I'm here too," Kristoff grumbled. He threw a bag onto the back of the sleigh and mumbled something about swords and compensation.

"You look cute," Anna said as almost an aside. "Hank looks like a statue though!"

"Stop drooling, Anna," Elsa commanded rather angrily. "Yes, Henrik may clean up very, _very_, well,, but that is no reason to act debased."

"Speak for yourself! Do you want me to fan you down, your majesty?" Anna mocked.

She shot a gust of arctic wind at her sister's exposed legs, eliciting a shocked yelp. Satisfied, she turned back to her way-too-smiley friend and his disgruntled ice-harvesting partner.

"Thank you both for this, I can assure you the rewards will be bountiful for your service."

"Stop the bullshit," Hank insisted, "We're going to put some flags down and make another fake boundary. It's less work than I do at the castle."

"But you look so much better doing it," Elsa teased. She caught his cheeks tinting and smiled at the desired effect. She closed the distance between herself and him. "I'll see you soon." She wrapped him in a hug and whispered in his ear, "Don't worry about your father, I'll take great care of him."

"I know you will," Hank said returning the hug stronger than he did the evening before. He broke off and went to take his seat in the sleigh.

Anna gave Kristoff a rather grandiose kiss and let him get in the sleigh himself, taking the reins and urging Sven on towards the mountains. The sisters watched them leave together, neither peeling their eyes away until the sleigh was just a small dot on the horizon.

"Elsa?" Anna asked.

"Yes?" the Queen replied.

"_Do you want to build a snowman_?"  
Elsa smiled warmly. "Absolutely, Anna."

* * *

Kristoff was nervous. Captain Eriksson had said absolutely nothing for the whole hour they had been travelling. They had another two or three hours to go until they reached the boundaries of Arendelle land and then days of surveying. He was scared they would be spent in silence.

The soldier was slouching in his seat and had his legs balanced against the front of the sleigh. Kristoff wanted to tell him to put his feet down but the man scared him a little and he was even more imposing in that uniform. He looked like something right out of a storybook.

"Something on your mind, Bjorman?"

"Thank God you talked," Kristoff blurted out. Hank gave him a funny look. "I mean- uhhh, sorry, I was just wondering if you were gonna keep quiet."

Hank nodded. Kristoff waited for a reply and decided the man must be fooling around with him when he got none. He decided to return the favour.

"So, you and the Queen are getting pretty close huh?"

The guard visibly stiffened. "We've always been close."

Kristoff grinned. Hanging around Anna gave him a few things, one of them being the annoying ability to pester. "I don't know, she was holding onto you pretty tight."

"Drop it, Bjorgman!" Hank snapped. The taller man shut up and turned his attention back to the snow ahead. Sven trudged on dutifully.

"I don't want to talk about it." Kristoff quickly snapped his head back around wondering if he was hearing things. He hedged his bets on sounding even more like an idiot.

"Why?"

"My Dad told me not to," Hank explained.

Kristoff looked at him in disbelief. "That's a pretty damn stupid reason."

Hank frowned and furrowed his brow but continued on. "He told me that nothing good could ever come of us being together. A marriage without political ties could lead to wars or issues with trade. He warned me that my own happiness isn't worth a kingdom of people. He's right."

"You talked to your dying father about this?" Kristoff wondered, hoping he wasn't pressing too far.

"He brought it up." Hank said. Kristoff trusted Sven with the steering and turned his full attention to his companion.

"What do you think?"

"I don't think about that."

The Harvester considered leaving it there but Anna would never forgive him. He took a cue out of his family's playbook and got wily. "Okay. I don't blame you really. It's probably more trouble than it's worth anyways. What are you really missing out on? Elsa definitely isn't the best looking Queen in Arendelle's history."

Hank looked offended. He straightened his posture and leaned forward aggressively. "Elsa is the most divine creature God ever blessed the world with creating."

Kristoff smirked and relaxed, the fear of being thrown off his sleigh overpowered by the satisfaction of getting what he wanted. Hank narrowed his eyes, realizing he had been played.

"A blind man would tell you she's beautiful, Bjorgman," Hank defended.

"Would he tell me that she is 'the most divine-"

"I can kill you out here and nobody would know," Hank threatened. "I could slit your throat and leave you as food for the reindeer and not one person would ever find out."

Kristoff gulped. Something about the tone made Kristoff believe him, even though he knew the man was too nice to actually kill him. Well, actually, he didn't know the man very well at all.

"Sorry," Kristoff apologized genuinely. "I didn't mean to pry into something that bothers you this much."  
Hank swirled his jaw in contemplation. "Okay," was all he said.

The blonde gripped the reins once more and looked ahead at his reindeer buddy. They were still on the right course. He refused to look back at Captain Eriksson, afraid of the reaction he might get if he tried to talk to him again and instead chose to do something he always used to do before getting friends. He talked to Sven.

"Hey, Sven," he started, "Do you know what I love about Anna?"

* * *

"Hey, Elsa," she started, "Do you know what I love about Kristoff?"

The older sister rolled her eyes. The man had been gone for a day and Anna had already written a damn book about him. Elsa attempted to think up a witty answer but was coming up dry. She settled with, "I don't know, Anna. Tell me again."

"Weeeelllll, I love the way he talks! He is always so awkward with other people. Some of the townspeople still think he's mean."

Elsa yawned and inspected her nails, not even feigning interest. Anna hadn't left her alone, even insisting on sleeping in the same room last night. The younger sibling stayed up for hours listing off hundreds of things that would be at her wedding. At least that party sounded like it would be a good time, the plans for it were infinitely more entertaining than hearing about every little quirk Kristoff has. The only solitude she found was at Hank's house with his father. Anna refused to go visit. _Maybe I'll sleep there tonight_, Elsa thought, _Hank wouldn't mind me using his bed_.

"What are you thinking about, Elsa?"

"Hmm?" Elsa replied, her trance broken.

Anna grinned like a mountain lion on top of a wounded sheep. "I bet you were just imaging Hank in his uniform yesterday. _Oh, Captain Eriksson, please take me away from all of this regality with your strong arms and sleek hair!_" she teased in a terrible impression of her sister's richer tones.

"Anna! That is very inappropriate!" Elsa felt a blush creeping across her pale cheeks.

"_Oh, Henrik_!" Anna was jumping around and swooning like a trained actress. "_Take off my clothes and do me on the floor_!"

"ANNA!" Elsa screamed throwing her hand forward and covering the princess in snow. The younger girl popped her head out of the pile, her teeth were chattering and her nose was rosy and bright.

"I w-was just k-k-k-kidding, Elsa," Anna shivered. Elsa made no attempt at dissolving the snow.

"I never want you to make assumptions like that again," Elsa demanded.

"Ac-c-cording to Olaf, it isn't an as-s-s-sumption," Anna said, getting snippy about her predicament.

"Excuse me?"

"Get rid of the snow, f-first."

Elsa flicked her wrist and the snow dissolved into beautiful crystals. The crystals swirled around and resolved into a large, garish sweater covering Anna. It was surprisingly warm.

"Hmmm, not exactly in style," Anna complained.

"Olaf said what?" Elsa pressed.

"Sorry, I just remembered! Olaf said it was a secret and I'm not allowed to tell."

As soon as she stopped talking she felt the sweater on her body get colder and harder, clinging tighter to her chest. "OKAY!" Anna panicked. "He looked in the window of Hank's house and saw you two embracing."

"That's it?" Elsa said, relieved. "You saw us embracing yesterday; it's no big deal to hug your best friend."

"You had clothes on yesterday," Anna mumbled. She wished she was an artist because the look on Elsa's face was worth a kingdom and a half. A look that, preserved properly, would live on as art for hundreds of years and spur millions of conversations about exactly what emotion she was portraying in the painting.

"Is that guilt?" Anna asked.

"Olaf doesn't know what he saw," Elsa assured. "He's just an innocent little snowman."

"What did he see, your majesty?" Anna teased.

"Anna, leave," Elsa pleaded, clearly exhausted by the exchange. "I'm not going to sit here and argue about something someone refuses to change their opinion on. Goodbye."

"I want answers!" Anna yelled playfully before being carried out of the room by a gust of cold air and deposited roughly on her butt outside the door. The door closed and locked quickly.

* * *

Kristoff was bored. It was cold, barren, and dark. He had just spent hours watching Hank place flags in the ground every few groups of feet and decided that surveying was weird. He was pretty sure they were doing it wrong too. He wished he was back in the castle stables, eating carrots and listening to Anna sing.

"I miss Anna."

Hank nodded. "I would hope so, you're marrying her."

Kristoff didn't mean to say that out loud, but they had been silent for hours so he rolled with it. "I don't think I've gone longer than a day without seeing her since I met her. This is weird."

Hank held out his hand. Kristoff held out his hand. Sven took a flag in his teeth and handed it to the big blonde who handed it to the soldier. Hank stabbed it into the ground and straightened out the Arendelle crest on it. He started walking again.

"Before last week, I had never even thought about how much time I spend with Elsa. I have had groups of days now without seeing her. Days spent realizing how boring life could be. How did I even wake up in the mornings before I met her?"

Kristoff stayed completely quiet and put his hand over Sven's mouth to block any possible noise. He wasn't sure if Hank realized how he was talking right now. The sincere quality of his pitch intrigued Kristoff to no end, he had never heard the man open up.

"Before a few days ago I had never done any more than the occasional touch or held hand with Elsa. Now I have held her in my arms and felt her embrace. I don't know how I ever lived without it."

Kristoff followed as silently as possible, stepping only when the other man stepped and slowing his breathing.

"Do you know what I love about Elsa?" Hank said in what Kristoff felt was a mocking tone intended for him. The guard was on the cusp of yelling. "I love how we can sit for hours without speaking and say everything we need to. I love how my hands fit perfectly in the curves of her hips. I love how she's always worried about others; sometimes so much it brings intense pain to herself. I love how she doesn't try to say she understands me, she just accepts me for who I am. I love the way the frost clings to her hair and makes it shine at all times. I love the way she just wanders about town, as if she was just another person in the crowd. I love the way she says my name. I love the way she winks when she teases me. I love the way she doesn't care about how far beneath her I am and that she treats me like an equal. I love the way I can fluster her by dressing up or giving her a certain smile. I love the way she treats my Dad as if she's known him all of her life. I-"

"Captain Eriksson," Kristoff interrupted, placing his hand on the man's shoulder. "Calm down."

Hank stopped walking and ran a hand through his hair. He held out that hand and the flag ritual was repeated. He once again straightened the Arendelle crest. He pulled his blue cloak tighter around his body.

"I'm sorry, Kristoff."

"It's okay, Hank."

The guard nodded thoughtfully and continued walking.

* * *

"Can I tell you something before we get back?" Kristoff asked.

"Sure," Hank replied. He was lounging just as annoyingly in the sleigh as he did on the way out. Arendelle was seen down the mountain they were traversing. They added hundreds of acres of land to the kingdom but it certainly didn't look bigger.

"I, uh, well I did something stupid."

Hank raised an eyebrow, his interest level rising. Kristoff cleared his throat.

"Well, when Elsa told Anna she couldn't marry me she kind of went off the deep end. Anyways, we were in my cabin out in the mountains and Anna was acting weird and she started to-"

"I think I know where this is going," Hank said, "And I don't care."

"No, wait!" Kristoff urged. "I got to tell you while we're out here and not near anyone."

"I don't want to hear about the things you and _Princess_ Anna do in your cabin in the woods."

"But, Anna is pregnant!" Kristoff blurted out. Hank almost fell off the sleigh.

"What?!" he screamed. Kristoff was pretty sure that was the loudest he had ever heard the man speak in private.

"Anna was in a bad place and wanted to do something to get back at Elsa!" Kristoff explained hurriedly, remembering that he was talking to an armed royal guard. "She said it would force Elsa to let us get married! I couldn't resist! I can't say no to her! I'm sorry!"

"First off," Hank lectured, "That would not force Elsa to make you two get married at all. She could have just married her off to a foreign prince or king easily and if you were lucky you would be allowed to be her concubine. More than likely, Anna's new husband would execute you when the baby has blonde hair." Kristoff paled when he heard this. "Secondly, you took a princess' maidenhood before marriage. That is like baking a potato then feeding it to the rats instead of your children."

"How are those two things even closely related?" Kristoff wondered. He was a little unsure if that was one of the biggest insults he had ever received.

"You screwed up!" Hank yelled. "That's how they're related. I have to tell Elsa."

"No! Please!" Kristoff begged.

"I'm sorry, Kristoff. You're my friend and I'm happy that you trusted me with this information but this is too important," Hank said. A condemning tone overtook his voice. It was ominous, like a raven. The Ice Harvester panicked.

"If you do that, I will tell Elsa that you love her!" Kristoff threatened.

Hank paused. "I never said that."

"I don't care, close enough. She'll believe me."

Hank frowned realizing that she definitely would. "If you aren't married to Anna by the month's end, I will tell Elsa," the soldier resolved.

Kristoff sighed in relief. "Fair enough."

The men shook hands and finished their journey back in complete silence, Kristoff out of fear, Hank in stoic contemplation.

* * *

_"Guest" in the reviews, don't worry. Anna is childish and spoiled but she isn't evil. No secret twist here in this story, just interpersonal relationships between a variety of characters. Something to think about though, do you believe Anna deserves Kristoff and the kindness of Elsa and (to a lesser extent) Hank? Does she need to get knocked down a peg and grow up? Tell me in the reviews, I would love to hear your analysis._


	10. Unprepared For Company

She woke up to the sound of the bedroom door opening. She turned to the source and saw the house's owner enter, still clad in full uniform. His hair wasn't as immaculate but it still looked good and he had light stubble on his chin, the product of five days without a shave. She would have to do something about that later.

The red hues of morning light shined through the window and cloaked the bed in a summer dawn. She could smell the dew on the fields outside beneath the heavy scent of sweat and dirt on her Guard. She yawned loudly, ignoring the typical manners she would display at home.

"Good morning, Hank," Elsa purred. She was unbelievably comfortable under the covers in his bed. She felt all the pressures of the castle leave her. "You're home at an odd time."

"So are you," Hank quipped. "Your feather bed down the road not comfortable enough?"

"On the contrary, your bed is a thousand times more relaxing," Elsa argued. She rolled over and pulled the covers tighter, hoping to drain every inch of rest she could out of this sleep.

Hank shrugged. "You're the Queen, who am I to argue with you."

"Where's the fun in that?" Elsa whined uncharacteristically. She decided it was time to get up and rolled over again, throwing off the covers. She paused and stared.

Hank had his uniform tunic off and folded neatly on the floor along with the gloves. He had his hands hooked inside the waist of his pants and was starting to pull them down when she caught him. His shirtless chest was very clean, the uniform keeping out all the grime. Chest hair was the only thing breaking his statuesque lean figure. She finally snapped out of her trance only to notice that he was in much of the same state of shock.

"W-why are you staring…and taking off your clothes?" Elsa wondered.

"I'm, um, changing out of this grungy uniform and, uh…" he cleared his throat and stared unflinchingly.

She looked down and saw why. She had gone to bed in her underwear. Only a flimsy white brassiere shielded her ample chest from the open air and her body was doing the best it could to spill out. White cotton covered her below her waist but went no further than the edges of her pelvis. Her face instantly turned dark red and got very hot. She wanted to move her hands and cover herself but she was paralyzed. She could only think of one thing to say.

"Well, I usually sleep naked."

Hank said nothing, instead choosing to stare directly at her chest. She was starting to get really uncomfortable. Without breaking his gaze, Hank began to laugh softly. She panicked, was he laughing at her body?

"What's so funny?" she demanded. He only laughed harder. "Hank!" She stood up and pointed to emphasize her point. The bouncing this caused mortified her. He kept laughing then slid down his own pants in one motion. She screeched in surprise. He had a pair of very tight black shorts underneath. _Oh God, it's happening_, she thought.

"H-hank?" she stuttered, taking a step closer. He kept laughing as he grabbed her in a big friendly hug. The bare skin contact was having quite the effect on her body, she hoped he didn't notice.

"I missed you, Elsa" he said through the last few chuckles. "We haven't had something like this in weeks."

She thought back on it and realized they had been pretty serious recently. Not a whole lot of time for fun. Not that they've ever had fun with so little clothes on before. She hugged and explored his back with her hands absentmindedly. Every ridge and muscle was interesting to her. She kept exploring lower and lower until she found herself pinching his butt. Well, she purposely pinched his butt. He jumped.

"Whoa, I took off the pants to put us on equal footing. That wasn't an invitation," Hank explained through a blush. Elsa responded by pinching him again, this time on the other side. She just couldn't stop herself. "Elsa!"

"Sorry, Hank," she giggled. Where was her regality now? Where was the cold demeanor that made neighboring kingdoms fear 'The Queen of Ice and Snow'? Where was the Elsa that the world knew?

She was in her best friend's bedroom, both of them were in their underwear, and she definitely just felt him grab her ass. She slapped him across the face.

"What the hell?" he complained. "I was just getting you back!"

"It's different for a woman, Hank!" she really hoped she wasn't showing any signs of enjoying this. She refused to look down in fear that Hank was.

"Whatever, I'm going to go wash up." He turned around and made for the bathroom.

"We're talking about this at breakfast!" she called out to him. She knew they wouldn't really, they would probably act like this never happened. There were more important things to worry about anyways, like the poor man in the other room who was getting sicker.

Still, she couldn't stop herself from smiling like a polar bear full of seal. She pulled the wedgie out of her underwear and considered what to wear that morning.

* * *

Anna lifted herself off of Kristoff and collapsed on the bed next to him. Her chest rose and fell rapidly. This is what exhaustion truly was. The sky was awake, but Anna was tired. She turned to her fiancé and caught a goofy smile on his face.

"Proud of yourself?" she teased. She threaded a hand through his thick chest hair and wrapped a leg around his, her ultimate cuddle position.

"Sorry, Anna. I'm just not used to it yet," Kristoff admitted.

"It's not like I am," Anna countered. "I could barely breathe at some points."

"I think that means I'm doing something right."

She playfully slapped him. "Keep your ego in check, Baron Bjorgman. Even if you are a spectacular man."

He snuggled into her body and shoved his face in her hair. "I love you, Anna."

"I love you too, Kristoff," she replied. She held him for a bit before speaking up. "I wonder how Hank is doing right now."

Kristoff frowned into her hair. "Yes, because I want to talk about the dashing Captain Eriksson right after what we just did."

"Don't be like that," Anna pleaded. "Elsa told me that his father was really bad yesterday. I just hope he's taking it all okay."

Kristoff thought about his conversations with the man over the past few days. He had barely mentioned his father, Kristoff was sure it was because he was very uncomfortable with it. Anna still got sad about her parents sometimes and Elsa could be dangerous in her grief. He wondered what a man like Henrik Eriksson would do when confronted with inevitability like that. He hadn't the faintest idea, but if Elsa was with him he would at least be happy.

"He'll be fine, Anna," Kristoff assured. "Now let's get some sleep before someone tries to wake us up."

* * *

"So, I tell this guy to pass the bread and that reindeer of his picks it up in his teeth and drops it in front of me," Hank complained. Elsa giggled; this was a typical Kristoff story. "I tell him that there is no way I'm eating the bread now and can you guess what he does?" _Yes_. "He picks up the loaf and bites off a chunk. Right where the reindeer's drool soaked it!"

"That's Kristoff," Elsa mused. "Now stop bitching and hold still."

He grumbled and lifted his head up. She took a seat on his lap, straddling him effectively, and brandished the razor. He flinched noticeably. She wiggled her hips and he put his hands on them for support. She never noticed last time but he gripped tighter the closer the razor got to his face. She began with his neck this time to get it out of the way.

"Should we really do this in your kitchen?" she asked.

He stayed perfectly still until she finished her stroke and pulled the blade away. He shrugged. "You said you wanted to sit down while doing this and the chairs are in here," he explained. "Are you sure you're comfortable sitting like that?"

"Yes," she assured maybe a bit too quickly. He didn't need to know just how comfortable she was. Maybe it was the whole underwear thing, but she was feeling loose today. She opted for a flowing sundress made out of her ice that was cut low on her chest and short on her legs. It was nice and cold but no long skirt meant it wouldn't freeze Hank's legs while she sat on him…not that she was planning on doing this.

"Besides, we can jump right into breakfast after this," Hank said. "More time for stuff later. After sitting with my Dad for a while maybe we could go see a play or a concert. It would be nice to relax after my 'manly' weekend with Baron Bjorgman." He signaled for her to start again with a quick nod.

She continued shaving. She had forgotten about the title she was giving her future brother-in-law. She would have to prepare a nice ceremony for it. Anna would love to throw a ball to make it really official. She would have to send out letters to Arendelle's allies soon. _Maybe I'll even dance at this one_, she considered while finishing one side of his face, _it'll make the other kingdoms feel more comfortable around me_.

Elsa finished her task in silence, taking careful care to trim him as close as possible. She wiped the razor clean on a towel and set it down on the table. "Ready for breakfast?" she asked.

Hank nodded, hands still on her hips. He was making no fuss about moving and she was enjoying it. She reached over, grabbed his shirt off the table and shoved it playfully in his face. "Put your clothes on, Captain, you're indecent."

He smiled then lifted her off of himself and stood. He slipped the shirt on quickly and walked over to the bread box. "Do you want bread, or bread for breakfast?" he asked.

"What, no oranges?" she whined. It was the least convincing whine he had ever heard. He put a modest loaf on the table and got out two plates and a knife. "Plates? Wow, I am special aren't I?"

"You're on point today," Hank noted.

"Maybe it's because you groped me." _Wow, we're actually talking about it at breakfast_.

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, your majesty," Hank lectured.

Elsa shrugged. "Fair enough. Although, next time, make sure you get a whole cheek in your palm, it's a much more satisfying experience."

Hank began choking on his bread. Elsa's eyes narrowed and she smiled mischievously. Today was a victory for her. He swallowed and got up from his chair. Elsa raised an eyebrow.

"I'm going to go check on my Dad," he explained. "I need to straighten myself out after that last comment."

She smiled warmly and waved him off, returning to her bread. It tasted immensely better after flustering Hank that much. She could probably count all the times she did that in the years she'd known him on her fingers.

She got worried when he wasn't back by the time she was finished eating.

Elsa got up and briskly walked to Will's room. He was certainly worse than when Hank left but he wasn't that bad as far as she could tell. She was sure it was impossible for him to be so terrible that Hank needed to be with him that badly. She sped up her pace and found herself nearly smacking the door with her forehead. She turned the knob.

It was locked.

* * *

_A/N_

Sorry to get so talkative at the end of chapters all of a sudden but I love responding to reviews! I've sent PMs to everyone who answered my question about Anna with an account and I would like to address the guest reviews.

Guest: Glad you like Hank! I was worried people wouldn't and it was my main hurdle when writing this. The first chapter took longer to write than the six that came after it. You should see some of the terrible outtakes. Interesting that you note that Anna takes Elsa for granted. She kind of always has, hasn't she? Never asking her what her problem was, always assuming that she could solve the problem and it wasn't a big deal. SailorSea got at this in the reviews for the last chapter. In the movie Anna came across to me as naively selfish, and I tried to portray that here. It seems sinister at times because it can really piss off the person who's on the receiving end. Note the characterization of Anna in sections from her perspective to sections in others; I tried to make it somewhat noticeable.

Dani: I think Anna on the surface is very sweet and selfless, but as I said above, doesn't know that she does act selfish at times. I tried to imagine what it would be like for her to go from nobody to having her sister, a crazy ex, and a lover within a matter of days. She was just handed everything on a platter (with some hardships…like almost dying) and never really had time to truly learn from her mistake before being rewarded. She'll never try to marry a guy on a first date anymore but has no qualms making herself pregnant to try and get her way. My vision of Anna is someone who never had to mature while my Elsa is someone who was forced to mature at a very young age. The three year time skip in the beginning is a bit of a cheat, I'll admit, and I tried to show as much of the character changes as possible within the story. I think I failed Anna in a way because, to be honest, I don't really go into her in the rest of the story. I would love to see someone else take Anna on, or if they already have I would love a link to the story. She interests me much more after writing this story than she did when I watched the movie.

It was a very conscious decision to make Kristoff a push-over for most of the same reasons I write Anna like I do. This is a man who had about as much personal contact in his youth as Anna did, but he did it on purpose. The guy has some extreme social anxiety. I like to imagine him as one of those "tfw no gf" kind of guys who finally got the girl of his dreams and will do anything it takes to keep her. His beta male traits really come out when placed next to Hank who grew up with friends and loving (human) parents. Now, if Hank did something really stupid Kristoff would have no qualms beating the hell out of him (and he could, because for all of Hank's skill and speed Kristoff would be a tank in combat), much like he was willing to deck Hans at the end of the movie for slighting his woman. Kristoff probably needs someone to wake him up just as much as Anna does. Maybe they could do it for each other?

A question was great last time so for the reader who likes to get involved, how about another one?

If you were Hank or Elsa, would you get together with the other? Try to think about all the possible consequences, both personal and external. Also take into account the emotions of each of them. Touch choice? Easy? I would love to know. There is no better time to ask than this chapter. Next chapter is going to be a nice long one with tons of that character defining stuff that I love so much. Hope you love reading it as much as I loved writing it.

Thanks to all of you who are sticking with me as well as all of you who just started recently. Thank to those who review and don't worry those who don't feel comfortable reviewing, I appreciate you too! See you Saturday!


	11. Break the Frozen Heart

_A Long Time Ago_

"I don't think you're excited enough, Hank."

The young man was visibly shaking. His hair was frizzled from the hand being nearly constantly run through it. His uniform was wrinkled and dishevelled here and there from his attempts at keeping it straightened out. His neatly trimmed beard was the only stable part of the guy.

"I'm sorry, Dad. I've just never got to wear the uniform before," Hank explained.

"You've been in the stiff thing all day, haven't you gotten tired of it yet?" Will asked.

Hank shook his head firmly. "I don't think I ever will."

Will smiled and cupped his son's shoulder firmly. "That's my boy. Now, you have one final job to do today before we can go home."

"What is it?" Hank asked eagerly. He had done a whole slew of work today, all entirely different from the chores he was forced into during his training. He had gone a whole day without touching a pail of water.

Will smiled a big Grinchy smile. Hank's face dropped at the sign. "Go fetch dinner for the Princess."

Hank groaned and rolled his eyes. None of the guard wanted to make the trek all the way up the stairs to bring dinner to the reclusive Princess Elsa, so it had been the gullible trainee Henrik Eriksson's job for his whole three years of preparation for his position in the Arendelle military. The princess never once had said a word to him, no matter how long he would wait for her to reply or open the door. He had never even seen her up close, only from the back of the church at her parent's funeral service the year before. Delivering her food had always left him with a heavy heart after the death of the King and Queen. Hearing the silence of the Princess always reminded him of his mother.

"Isn't there another guy to do that now?" Hank complained.

Will gave him a stern look. "Always accept and serve without question, Henrik," he lectured. His features softened. "I know you don't like this, but we want you to do it a few more times. We're trying to see if she's used to you. She doesn't open the door for some knocks."

"She never opens the door when I knock!" Hank snapped out of frustration. "I didn't even know she existed for real until last year!"

Will shrugged. "She eats though. Just bring the food and I'll try to get a maid on it from now on or something."

Hank grumbled and left, making his way to the kitchen and the tray that was sure to be waiting for him. If the princess ever thanked him, or even answered his knocks or calls he wouldn't mind this job at all. All of his friends were significantly older than him. Sure, Princess Elsa was only eighteen, but that was closer to twenty one than thirty three. Princess Anna seemed interested in hanging out with him and was a very nice girl but fifteen was a bit too young and she always glanced at him with big, hungry eyes.

He entered the big doors leading to the kitchen and smelled the aroma of afternoon delights. He waved at Daniel and made his way to the line of completed dishes. With a sigh he grabbed the silver covered tray off the counter and left for the servant's stairwell. He dutifully climbed the seemingly hundreds of steps leading to the top floor of the castle, each step up weighing heavier and heavier on his heart. He really missed his Mom. He felt himself getting colder as he went up and tried to force the bothersome thoughts out of his mind.

He opened the stone door leading into the hallway and shivered. He exhaled and watched his white breath rise from his mouth. It was really cold. Must be a window open, he thought.

He made his way to the heavy wooden door marked with ancestral designs. With a final sigh he balanced the tray in one hand and knocked twice, hard. He waited a few moments longer than usual. He knocked again, feeling extra assertive and waited even longer. If this was going to be the last time, he was waiting a good long while for one last chance at meeting the girl who had caused him to keep in such great cardio shape with all that stair climbing. He knocked again.

"Princess Elsa!" Hank called, starting to question his decisions. "I have your dinner here!"

He waited. Nothing. He knocked louder.

"Princess Elsa!" Hank yelled, definitely questioning his decisions. "I've brought you food for years and never once even asked for a thank you! You could at least cough or something!"

He heard shuffling and took a step away from the door. Smiling widely in success he patiently waiting for the very loud footsteps to reach the heavy wooden door and throw it inwards violently.

She stood firmly, clenching her fists. She had platinum blonde hair that cascaded down her back in a very long braid. Her blue eyes were so dark they were almost purple and they were narrowed angrily. She had a tight purple dress on, immaculate in its fit. Her pure white cheeks were streaked with what looked like frost. A quick look over her shoulder revealed a white room painted so well it seemed like snow was all over the walls and floor.

"If you've gone years without talking to me, why did you have to start today?" Princess Elsa spat. Her voice was rich and full, and somewhat sultry. Hank had trouble recognizing the annoyance in it. He felt bad about his decision to knock more than once. He had hours of things he could say but he was tongue tied at the sight of the girl. He tried to choke something out.

"I'm so-"

"If you were sorry you wouldn't have been so persistent," Elsa accused. "I was busy; you should learn to mind your own business." He stared at her blankly. "Are you even listening to me?" Oh, he was. He was hanging on her every word. "I can't believe the nerve of you, bothering me like that. I'm in grief, I'm always in grief. Do you even know what it's like to lose a parent, do you know how bad it feels?" He did. He wanted to tell her he did, more than most. He wanted her to know about the sleepless nights spent crying, the heartache when you forget that your Mom isn't going to greet you at the breakfast table. He couldn't though, and his betraying voice box could only mouth the primary thing on his young mind.

"You are the most beautiful girl I've ever seen."

He wanted to throw himself from the nearest window. Princess Elsa blushed before gritting her teeth. "That's all you have to say for yourself? Whatever. Thank you for bringing me my dinner for so long. If I ever see you again I don't want to see that ridiculous beard. Shave, for God's sake."

She slammed the door. Hank calmly set down the tray of food, wondering why she didn't take it from him. He made his way down the chilly hallway, picking at his short beard. He would have to go home and sharpen his razor.

* * *

_Now_

"Hank, open the door," Elsa pleaded. No response. The door was still sealed shut seven hours after Hank had locked himself in with his father. She had barely moved from her spot in all that time as well. She considered using her powers on the door, but she didn't know if Hank would ever forgive her if she did.

"Hank, I'm begging you. Please just let me in." The irony was not lost on her.

"Elsa, go home."

Her eyes widened, it was the first time she had heard his voice since breakfast. She flattened herself against the door and shoved her ear against it, wanting to hear every bit of noise. "I'm not going home, Hank. I'm not leaving this spot. I'm not leaving you."

* * *

_One Year Ago_

Hank thoughtfully chewed his bratwurst. It was good, but it wasn't his mom's. He looked across the table and saw his father poking at the plate contemplatively. When he noticed his son watching him he took a bite and swallowed quickly.

"Don't like it?" Hank asked.

"It isn't bad at all, Hank. I promise," Will assured. "I'm just not hungry."

Hank frowned. "You haven't been hungry a lot lately."

Will waved his hand in dismissal. "I'm old, Son. When you're creeping on sixty you won't be as hungry either."

"What about the coughing?" Hank pressed.

"You don't have to worry about that with the way you condition yourself. I wish I was as determined as you when I was that young," Will lamented, effectively dodging the true intent of the question. "Now let's drop that and talk about interesting stuff. I'm told the Queen is seldom seen without you at her side."

Hank nodded. He ate instead of replying, knowing that his Dad had a point.

"I'm glad you finally have a friend around your age," Will said, "But you should be spending less time with your friend and more looking for a wife."

Hank rolled his eyes. "You didn't get married until your thirties."

"I was damn lucky that your mother fell into my arms," Will argued.

"Why can't I just wait for the perfect girl to fall into mine?" Hank countered.

"Like the Queen?" Will accused. Hank stiffened and remained silent. "Henrik, I love you more than anything in the world, but you can be quite the idiot."

"It's never going to come to that, Dad," Hank promised. "She's my best friend, that's all. The only time I ever told you anything of that sort was my first day on the job. She doesn't even remember that day. I had a crush on her a long time ago, yes, but any sane young man would. She looks like an angel."

Will crooked an eyebrow and swirled his jaw around. He narrowed his eyes. "I'm just warning you, Hank. Don't set yourself up for disappointment. You're twenty-five and not getting any younger."

Hank's chair scraped the hardwood floor noisily. He forced himself up, knocking his plate to the ground as he did. "I'm going to work." He exited quietly, but stopped at the edge of the kitchen. "Do you need me to get anything while I'm out?"

Will shook his head. "Don't worry about anything, Hank." He twirled his fork around his fingers. "I'm sorry. Helena would be really cross with me for that. Sometimes, I forget that you aren't sixteen anymore."

"Me too," Hank said before stepping out.

After a trip to the barracks for a fresh uniform, Hank was ready for an evening shift. He put in a lot of hours. All of his free time was spent putting in more work, if you could really call hanging around with Elsa work. With strong ceremonial steps he was off through the castle. He made what was always his first stop at this time of the night, the study. Not unusually, the doors were closed. He knocked twice, hard. No answer. _Very strange_. He knocked again, nothing. He put his ear to the door and started to wonder if the Queen had made a change to her nightly regiment when he heard a strangled sob.

"Elsa?" Hank called. He readied his hand on the doorknob.

Behind the door she coughed to clear her throat. "I'm very busy, Hank. Please go away." Dejected, he reluctantly stepped away from the door and started to make his way back downstairs. He paused when he realized it was getting warmer the further away from the door he went. He ran back and tried to open the door. It was locked. He considered leaving again, but against all his better judgement he put all of his weight into a tackle…and heard a snap.

The door collapsed inward, breaking off of its rusty hinges. This hallway had been devastated in Elsa's incident a couple years back and not all of the damaged elements had been repaired, including this particular door's hinges. Hank landed on the ground with the door and bit his lip to try and quell the pain from his definitely strained shoulder. His lean frame wasn't designed to take down two hundred pound ornate wooden doors.

"Hank!?" Elsa yelled. She ran over from her chair as fast as she could and knelt down next to the man. She picked him up, placing him in her lap and inspected his arm. It wasn't visibly broken so she helped him up and led him to the couch by the fireplace. She sat next to him, close, and ran a hand through his hair. His eyes were shut tight trying to hide the pain. He opened them and looked around. She blushed when his eyes stopped at her half-frozen desk.

"Busy, your majesty?" Hank quipped. She slapped his shoulder, eliciting a scream. Elsa wished she could say she felt guilty.

"You broke my door," The Queen complained. Hank took a closer look at her face and saw the frost trails leading down her cheeks. Her eyes were puffy but the redness was masked by a glossy sheen.

"It's what friends do," Hank shrugged. "Now tell me what's troubling you."

"Aren't we forceful today," Elsa noted. She began rubbing his shoulder lightly, alternating the temperature in her hand so that it acted like a human icy-hot pack. It felt good. Very good.

"I had a bad evening, I don't want to talk about it."

"So did I, so I'm not going to talk about it," Elsa countered. Hank smirked. He sighed and sank into the couch a bit, relaxing his shoulder for her.

"My Dad is on me to find a wife," Hank explained, "He keeps telling me I'm wasting my time."

Elsa's eye twitched ever so slightly. "You're young, why is he so worried?" Elsa asked.

"I don't know. I think it could be that he's been sick lately. He won't talk to me about it but it could be bad."

Elsa frowned. "I'm sorry to hear that." Hank shrugged.

"He just wants me to be happy."

The Queen uncrossed her long legs and sat for a moment before crossing them again. "I could always…set you up with someone. There are many pretty female workers around here that would be glad to have you."

Hank chuckled and scratched his bare chin. "I don't want to be gifted a woman, Elsa."

She nodded, clearly flustered. Times like this were the only moments Hank remembered just how long she went without personal interactions. He pointed back to the desk. "Your turn."

Elsa sighed deeply. "I received a letter from Corona today."

Hank's face was blank. He didn't say anything. It kind of annoyed Elsa that he refused to pad a conversation with small chat in between the meat of the issue. She appreciated the honesty though.

"They asked me to visit," Elsa continued. "The…wreckage from my parent's ship has started to float onto their shores and they want me there while they perform a ceremony for them."

Hank nodded slowly. "Are you going to go?"

"No," Elsa answered quickly.

"You should," Hank urged. "It would be good for you to leave Arendelle for a while. Go on a vacation."

"It isn't a vacation when I'll be crying all the time and opening old wounds!" The Queen snapped. Hank raised an eyebrow. "Sorry," she added.

"I could go with you," he suggested. It was her turn to raise an eyebrow now. He blinked. "I mean, as a bodyguard. It wouldn't be as bad when you have a friend. And I guess I could use a break from this place too."

Elsa smiled warmly and cupped his cheek. "Thank you, Hank. I'm not going though."

He nodded and stood up, breaking off from her touch. "Okay," was all he said.

Elsa's lips contorted awkwardly. She stood up and started rubbing his shoulder again. With a flick of her other hand her desk unfroze. "It's nice to have a guy around as loyal as you," she complimented.

"I would follow you anywhere, Queen Elsa," Hank whispered. Her eyes widened. "I swore an oath," he added, much louder.

"Well, you're doing a great job," Elsa said. "I feel alright now. Better than before. Would you like to go with me to sit in the courtyard for a little while? The stars are beautiful right about now."

Hank smiled. "If that is what you ask of me, Elsa."

"It is," she ordered, "And it would go a ways to making me feel better about my door being ruined."

* * *

_Now_

She heard the scraping of a chair and she backed away from the door. It swung in and he stood in the frame blocking everything inside. He looked mostly the same, aside from the red in his eyes.

"Hank, what's going on?" Elsa whispered. She placed her hand on his chest and took a step closer.

"His breathing has been slowing all day, he can go at any time," Hank explained. "I don't want you to have to see this. Leave. I'll get you when it's over." He lightly pulled her hand off and went back in the room. Elsa stuck her foot in the closing door. He glared at her, waiting for her to speak. She considered what she was doing and if she could really handle the pain that might be waiting on the other side of the door. If she lost control she could cause some serious damage. But, she didn't think she could lose control if she was with Hank. She grit her teeth and made up her mind.

"I'm not leaving."

"I want to be alone!" Hank snapped. She flinched but held firm.

"No you don't, Hank." She starting pushing the door, he put up no resistance. "Trust me, you don't." She went in the rest of the way and threw her arms around him. He hugged her back tightly and buried his head in her shoulder. She kneaded her fingers through his hair and rubbed his back. She felt hot tears melting the strap of her dress and struggled not to cry herself. He let out choked sobs often and was clutching her tighter than she had ever been held.

"My Dad is going to die, Elsa," he realized through tears. "He's going to die any second and I'm never going to see him again."

She tried to reply but she was too choked up. He was right anyways. Tears burned down her own cheeks; she couldn't stay strong for him much longer. She kissed his ear, hoping that the action said everything she wanted to.

He picked her up effortlessly and brought them to the chair by the bed. He sat down and kept her in his lap, never once letting go of her. Will looked almost exactly like he had the past few days, with the exception of his complexion, which was paler than Elsa's. He looked like he was already gone, the only sign of life being the suspenseful, slow rhythm of his chest moving up and down.

Elsa didn't even try to hold it in, she cried like she hadn't cried in years. She cried almost as much as she did the day the news of her parents reached Arendelle. She cried nearly as much as Hank. Her friend had completely lost his composure. Salty tears coated his sunken cheeks, his eyes were dark red and his face was contorted in pain. It was the most heartwarming thing Elsa had ever witnessed. She had never seen Hank look downtrodden, let alone depressed. She hugged him tight.

"W-what if I froze him?" Elsa suggested. She had trouble keeping her voice from cracking. "I could keep him frozen just enough to keep him alive and we could keep him like that until-"

"Elsa," Hank cut her off, "It's okay."

She didn't understand. How was it okay? Hank's father was leaving him forever. There is nothing positive about that. It wasn't okay.

But then it hit her. It was. Will had led a long and happy life. He had a good job that he loved. He lived in his own house. He had a beautiful and loving family. He raised his son to be a great man. If anything, this was good for Will. He was old and tired and he could finally be with Helena again. There was nothing that man wanted more in his life than to be with his wife again.

Hank would be okay too. He would miss his father until he himself was gone, but he had made the most of his time with him. He had twenty-six years of memories and was continuing his legacy through the royal guard. He could be comforted knowing that his Dad died comfortably and with his son, and that his mother and father would be together in heaven watching over him. He wouldn't be alone either. Hank wouldn't have his father but he would have his friends and he would have Elsa. Elsa promised herself that he would have her for the rest of his life.

Maybe it was the same with her parents too. Neither had to live with the pain of losing the other and they are together forever above her. They were there in her heart through all of her pain and were proud as can be when she finally let herself free and came into her place. They were there when Anna saved her life and Elsa found the power to release the frozen curse over Arendelle. They would always be there for her and one day long from now maybe she could see them again. She will always have their love and she could share its warmth with others.

She would share it with the man that was holding her. She would make him as happy as he made her until she drew her last breath. She would give herself entirely to him, if he would take her.

"Hank," she started. She paused a moment, mentally preparing herself for the words to come. "I-"

"Elsa," he interrupted, stopping her. She looked into his tear bleeding eyes; they were glued onto the bed. She quickly turned her attention there just in time to see Will's chest rise and fall for the last time.

* * *

Hank was sitting in a longboat on the fjord. Castle Arendelle was framed by the mountains and the mist rising off of them made the whole scene look surreal. Small details blurred in with the surroundings as if God's watercolours weren't sharp enough to properly render the scene. He was wearing his royal guard uniform and across from him in the boat was another man in a similar uniform. It was his Dad. He had a fishing rod in his hand; Hank saw the lure floating lackadaisically on the surface of the water. He watched for a while, fish didn't seem too interested.

"I have gone fishing with you hundreds of times and never once seen you catch a fish," Hank observed.

"I used to catch tons of fish before you were born, you took all of my luck," Will excused.

"Okay, Dad," Hank conceded, "I'm sure Mom would tell me a different story."

Will chuckled. "That she would."

They sat in the boat for a good while longer, neither saying anything. Finally, Will pulled in his rod and set it down in the boat.

"I wanted to talk to you, Son."

Hank nodded. He felt tears pooling in his eyes. "All I want to do is talk to you more, Dad. That's all I'll ever want for the rest of my life."

"Don't lie, Henrik," Will commanded, "We both know what you want."

Hank ran a hand through his hair and swirled his jaw around. His gaze wandered from his Dad's eyes and saw that he was wearing the ice broach that Elsa made for him. It gleamed in the sun and made him look like a proud soldier.

"Hank, did I ever tell you about how your mother and I got together?"

Hank smiled and nodded. "Many times."

"Well," Will said, "I think this one is going to be the most important, so pay attention. Your mother loved me from the moment she saw me." Hank rolled his eyes. "She did! I was quite the looker when my hair looked like yours. Anyways, we wanted to marry more than we ever wanted anything but her parents hated me. They told Helena that I would just leave her and go die in some distant war and she would be 'unusable' to another man after that." Will's fists clenched and unclenched rapidly. "I was so mad when she told me that. So mad that I took her to a church that day and got us joined in the eyes of the Lord. I made an application to switch from the Arendelle army to the Royal Guard that went through immediately and bought our house with the money I had been saving." Will smiled wide at that. "I was always good with money, probably the only thing Helena's parents liked about me. Well, maybe her mother enjoyed looking at me." Hank considered retching over the side of the boat, but decided not to interrupt. "The point is, Hank, I never saw Helena's parents again after that day. They completely abandoned her because they didn't like me. Now, if the greatest woman in the history of the world's parents cut all ties with her just because they didn't like me, imagine what could happen if instead of her parents it was people who had no personal ties. No bond outside of a handshake or a signature."

Hank frowned and considered his answer carefully. He looked off at the castle and thought he could see some ice forming at the tips of the spires. He concentrated, imagining all of the things he loved in life and the ice started retreating slowly. Hank smiled heartily and chuckled. There was only one answer, really. No matter what he did there was only one possible conclusion he would allow to happen.

"Y'know what, Dad? I don't care about what other people want."

Will nodded slowly, heavily. "That's my son alright." he reached across the boat and took Hank in a tight hug. "That's okay, Hank. Go enjoy your life. You've earned it." Hank felt tears dampening the shoulder of his uniform. He hugged his father as tight as he could and cried. All the tears he tried not to shed in front of Elsa leaked out yet again and lightened his heart.

"I love you, Dad."

"I love you too, Hank, and I'm proud of you. Prouder than I've ever been of anything."

* * *

Hank woke up calmly for the first time in as long as he could remember. He looked around his room and smiled. He would be alright.

He turned his attention to the girl in his arms. Her platinum blonde hair was loose and fell over her shoulders in waves, she looked peaceful in sleep and she was snuggled against his chest tightly. He was glad she stayed the night, it was better than being alone. Hank considered waking her up but decided to sleep a little longer. They had a long day ahead of them.


	12. Funeral for a Friend

Elsa stared out at the fjord and wondered why she didn't come here more often. If she was ever out on the water it was usually at the docks to meet with ships or see them off. She could only remember one time she was ever on this side of the bay and it wasn't the happiest of her memories. Running away from the castle, freezing the fjord solid; not the brightest of days to be sure. That was long past though and today was a much more somber occasion. She would have to come out here and enjoy the beautiful view sometime when she wasn't preoccupied.

She was holding Hank's hand, as she had been all day. They had scarce let go of each other since he opened the door for her last night. The only lengthy time they weren't touching at all was when Hank kicked her out of his room so that he could change. She wouldn't have minded being with him then either. He was wearing a fresh dress uniform, this piece being more ornate than the outfit he wore on the expedition. Heavier gold trim and brighter colours defined this one, but the general design was the same. She told him to leave his blue cloak though, instead fashioning him one out of ice. It matched her dress, giving a sort of continuity to the grievers.

They were not alone, however. Anna, Kristoff, and some of the castle servants turned out, maybe just because there was seldom an event to get dressed out of their usual uniforms. Hank had invited his friends and his father's. A good third of the Royal Guard came out to show their respects and watch the ceremony. Old and young face alike was etched with respect and admiration for the older man. Elsa really didn't know just how many people knew Hank and Will. It bothered her that she didn't.

Will was laid out in a longboat on the beach of the fjord. It was sad to see such a lively man with so neutral a face but there wasn't much Elsa could do about that. He was dressed in his own dress uniform, an older style than Hank's. Hank had done his father's hair that morning so that it looked exactly as it did throughout his childhood. Will's hands were crossing his chest and holding the handle of his sword. Outside of that, there was no ornamentation besides the Arendelle broach Elsa had made for him pinned over his heart. Two fires were placed on either side of the boat.

One by one, mourners stepped up to the boat and placed an offering inside. Gold, food, weapons, tools, and other things that would serve him well in the afterlife were deposited with him in the ship. After saying a prayer and giving their gift they would greet Hank and give him their condolences as well as bow and pay respects to the Queen. More than a few gave curious looks to their conjoined hands or questioning looks at Hank's cloak. It made Elsa uncomfortable, but she found that she didn't really care all that much.

She looked for her sister and found Anna a few metres behind her, silently crying. She was staring directly at the boat and wouldn't break her gaze. Kristoff had his arm around her and looked out of place. His cheeks had a light blush and he kept shifting his weight as if he wished to be somewhere else.

"How're the legs, Hank?" Daniel asked, giving the man a quick hug.

"Fine, thanks," Hank sounded lively today, the weight of the past few weeks finally off of his shoulders. "I'm still a bit stiff and they still hurt but I think they're getting better." Elsa's eyes widened. Hank squeezed her hand reassuringly. "Don't worry," he whispered to her, "They don't hurt too much. It isn't your fault." Elsa wasn't convinced.

Daniel watched the exchange with a raised eyebrow. He patted Hank's shoulder. "Come by the kitchens soon and I'll try to whip you up something for that pain. Sorry for your loss." Hank nodded and the doctor/chef was on his way after a bow to Elsa.

The line continued moving with soldiers and servants giving offerings and saying prayers for nearly an hour. Some of the townspeople saw the commotion and came out to pay their respects, taking any chance they could to show their loyalty to Arendelle and the Queen.

"Who's that?" Elsa heard a small villager say, pointing to Hank. His mother shushed him and slapped his hand down.

"Don't point, Johan!" the mother scolded. "That's the King. Only kings dress like that."

Elsa giggled and decided she probably didn't spend enough time with the townspeople if they didn't know that she was unmarried. She looked back to the couple that _was_ getting married and was displeased to see Anna with her predatory smile. _Someone_ heard that exchange and was going to tease her about it later. The Queen sighed.

Soon the mourners had all passed through and waited expectantly on the beach. The sun was sinking and the sky was deep amber. A warm summer breeze lightly blew the women's dresses around their ankles and ruffled the men's hair. Hank sighed, reluctantly letting go of Elsa's hand. He walked out to the stern of the boat and looked at his Dad. He recited a small prayer and turned to the large audience of people.

"Good evening and thank you all for coming. I am Captain Henrik Eriksson," he started. "Today we are here to pay our respects to my father, Lieutenant William Eriksson." He stood up straighter and ran a hand though his hair. "I'm not going to say much because my Dad would be mad at me if I did. He only spoke for a minute or two at my Mom's funeral and would not want a speech longer than hers. He'll be happy to finally be with her again. I'm sure that's the first thing he did when he got up there." He looked up to the sky. "Thanks for everything, Dad. I love you."

He looked at Elsa and stepped aside, presuming that she would say something. She sighed, figuring that this would be a common thing for the pair. He wasn't much of a public speaker. Good thing she was great at hiding how nervous she gets. Elsa gracefully took Hank's place at the bow of the boat and looked at the crowd. All of their faces were lit up with excitement; it wasn't every day the Queen gave an address.

"Thank you, Captain Eriksson." He nodded and bowed ceremonially. "Citizens of Arendelle, today we bid goodbye to one of our kingdom's most loyal servants. Many of the older among you will remember Lieutenant Eriksson and I'm sure you knew him better than I did, but I know the kind of man he was." She paused to look around. She had everyone's attention. She noticed a reindeer and a snowman watching from the bridge leading to the castle. She smiled. "When I met Will he was courteous and kind despite being confined to his bed. He spoke eloquently and with high regard. He praised my parents and told me stories of them, precious memories that I will forever be grateful for. He was there supporting me silently throughout all of those hard years after they passed away. He never asked for commendations but deserved them just as much as anyone I've ever met. Will was a true Royal Guard. Selfless, efficient, kind and loving. His service was greatly missed since his retirement and will forever be missed by Arendelle.

"Will is the kind of man who would appreciate a real ceremonial funeral. I would like to take this time to posthumously promote him to Captain." She held her open palm out and the crowd marvelled as three stars of ice were formed. She walked over and pinned them to Will's uniform. "I offer you this rank and stature in your journey to the afterlife, Captain Eriksson. May the Lord be good to you."

She stepped away and stood at attention. All of the military personal in the crowd saluted. Hank stepped forward again and pulled the torch off the bow of the longboat. He stuck it in the nearby fire and pulled it out, a violent flame engulfing the tip. He gave one final look to the crowd before grabbing the stern of the boat and pushing. The heavy boat moved slowly and perspiration started to dot Hank's brow but he singlehandedly pushed the longboat into the fjord. He stood in the water, his boots engulfed by the waves. He stared at his father's face one last time and said one final prayer before sticking the torch in the boat and pushing it off on its way.

The crowd watched in awe as the flames stood tall, the smoke rising higher than any they had ever seen before. Elsa waded her way through the water to take Hank's hand and watch with him as his father was cremated with the ship and all the offerings. His eyes were glossy with tears but he held himself together. She was proud of him. At the ceremony for her parents she had nearly frozen the whole affair and gave the people around her pneumonia. She concentrated on the happy feelings inside of her and the strength of her parents to keep her composure today. The first real test of her new life philosophy was a massive success.

The boat continued burning and slowly the crowd started to dissipate. Townspeople left first, afraid to overstay their welcome, followed by servants and soldiers. Hank stared dutifully at the burning longboat and Elsa stayed with him, refusing to leave his side. She heard the water splashing behind them and saw Anna and Kristoff approaching.

Anna went to Hank first and wrapped him in a warm hug. He hugged her back enthusiastically and accepted her kiss on his cheek. "That was a beautiful ceremony," the Princess said. "I'm glad we could be there for you through it."

Hank nodded. "You've been a great friend, Princess Anna." He looked to the other man. "You too, Kristoff. I look forward to your wedding." Hank had a strange look in his eyes as he said this but Elsa shrugged it off as a weird reflection from the water. Kristoff stuck out his hand for Hank to shake. The soldier pushed it away and threw his arms around Kristoff in a hug. The new Baron smiled brightly and hugged him back.

"We're going back inside, would you like to come with us?" Anna asked.

"No," Hank answered. "I want to see this through to the end."

The Princess nodded and looked at Elsa. Elsa shook her head. Anna smiled and grabbed Kristoff's hand, dragging him out of the water and back to the castle.

When all of the guests had left Elsa removed her hand from Hank's and rubbed his back. "We should get out of the water," she suggested.

He nodded and followed her to the beach, scarcely taking his eyes off of the pyre in the fjord. She took a seat on the grassy bank above the beach and Hank took the spot next to her. He pulled his knees up and put his head in them. Everything from his eyes and up was visible, staring directly ahead towards the dwindling fire. The sky was blackening and the orange flames reflected in his dark eyes. His arched eyebrows made him look determined and confident. She wondered what he really felt.

Together they watched the last of the embers die out and the ashy remains of the pyre sink to the bottom of the fjord. The moon had come out and its silvery light shined on the pair sitting on the beach. The soldier lowered his knees and raised his head. He was smiling.

"Thank for everything, Elsa," Hank said.

Elsa smiled and rested her head on his shoulder. "It's my pleasure, Hank."

He put an arm around her and pulled her closer. Elsa breathed in slowly, feeling very relieved. It had been a busy past few weeks and it was nice to have everything back to normal. Well, almost back to normal. She actually felt like she had come out of this a much better person, not in any small part due to her best friend. She lifted her head off his shoulder to thank him and found him already staring at her. His hair was flatter, weighed down by the sweat of the day. His uniform was tussled and wrinkled from the water. His eyes were soft and his brow was furrowed loosely in determination. He opened his mouth to speak but closed it right away. She smiled. He tried again.

"I love you, Elsa."

Not exactly what she was expecting at the moment. She felt her heart start pounding in her chest like a bass drum in a symphony. Her face was getting hot and her eyes were watering. She was paralyzed in her spot. She had imagined this happening before and was getting ready for the possibility of the situation but it still caught her off guard. She tried to speak strongly but only a strained whisper came out.

"I know."

He smiled brightly, all teeth, and squeezed her shoulder. She licked her lips and spoke again, this time much more strongly.

"I love you too, Hank."

Then he moved his arm around her waist and pulled her close. He threaded the fingers of his other hand through her hair leaned in. His lips touched hers and she melted. She threw her arms around his neck, holding him in place and kissing him back. Neither loosened their grip as the kiss deepened. The heat of their faces was enough to melt the little snowflakes adorning Elsa's hair. The kiss ended naturally and they pulled away only a little bit to look at each other. They both took notice of the snow lightly falling around them. The Queen frowned at her lack of control and almost stopped the downfall until she gazed once more at her soldier. The spark in Hank's eyes was enough for Elsa to let it go.

She pushed forward, knocking Hank on his back. She straddled him and leaned in again for more. They kissed even more passionately, Elsa using her hands to cradle his head and keep him down. She tightly clawed his shirt and slid her tongue into his mouth. He happily accepted the intrusion and returned the favour. His hands wandered all over her body, discovering things about her that their years of friendship had never yielded. He confidently put Elsa's advice from the day before into practice. Her eyelashes fluttered at the contact and she peeled herself off of him enough to start unbuttoning his uniform. As she was pulling his undershirt over his head her dress started to melt off slowly. Hank's bare chest was soaked as the bodice and sleeves dissolved. Droplets of water dripped from her panting chest onto his relaxed body. She caught her breath for a spell then covered his lips again, wishing that every moment of her life from then on could be like this.

* * *

Johan longingly gazed out his bedroom window at the castle and the beach he had been on earlier. He wished he could see the King and Queen again. They had looked like a picture in one of his story books. He imagined them living in the castle and going on tons of wonderful adventures with every mythological creature in God's kingdom. He wished he could be like the King when he grew up.

"Johan, its getting dark, come to bed," his mother commanded. If he was the King he could stay up as late as he wanted and have a beautiful Queen for a wife like Elsa. He wouldn't have to listen to his mother and he could eat chocolate at breakfast time.

"Are you listening to me?" Mother demanded. Johan sighed, wondering if one last look at the castle would be worth a bruise or two. He really should listen to his parents more. He tempted fate for the hope of a final dream.

He was granted one.

"Mom! Come look!" Johan urged excitedly. The mother reluctantly joined her son at the window and her jaw dropped in awe.

"But, it's the middle of June!" she exclaimed.

Outside, it had begun to snow. It wasn't a storm or a flurry, but a very light spattering of flakes floating down calmly and landing on the ground. The flakes were slightly bigger than usual and were spaced out enough that it looked as if a spider web of geometric shapes was being woven from the clouds. The snow hit the ground but didn't melt, retaining the unique shape of each and every snowflake. Johan and his mother watched in awe as more and more snow fell, creating an intricate pattern of white on every surface. The snow was painting art on the canvas of the world.

"Queen Elsa must be really happy," Johan observed. His mother nodded in agreement, unable to take her eyes off of the most beautiful sight she had ever witnessed.


	13. The Queen's Love

"Interesting party, huh?"

That was an understatement. She looked from the dessert table loaded with various carrot flavoured pastries to the drinking contest at the bar to the dance floor where trolls terrified humans with their dazzling displays of acrobatic prowess. The Queen rapped her fingers against the table and sighed. She always figured Anna would have a memorable wedding but never expected the after-party to be a spectacle of debauchery and occult hijinks. The trolls had rendered a smoke earlier that told of the future of any soul brave enough to inhale it, then they lit a massive fire, in the castle ballroom no less, and started throwing curtains into it in what they claimed was some sort of ceremony to see out the hidden evil in the hearts of the wedded couple. Elsa was sure they were just drunk considering how much of their homemade moss-ale they had partaken in.

"I'm not sure if I like any of it," Elsa admitted. The guard sitting next to her nodded in agreement.

"It's as if I'm at some kind of festival of nature instead of the celebration of the joining of two hearts," Hank said. He had changed his clothes to remind people that they were still within the realms of the law while enjoying the party. The familiar Royal Guard uniform was a very sobering deterrent. Earlier he had on a very nice suit Elsa had forced him to get tailored. She was adamant that a military uniform, no matter how dashing, was unacceptable attire for the best man. She allowed him to keep the ranking signifiers on his shoulders and belt though, in case any visiting dignitaries tried to call into question his importance to the crown. If only they knew, Elsa thought with a smirk.

"What's so funny?" Hank asked.

"I'm wondering how everyone here would handle it if I were to kiss you right now," Elsa explained. Hank's expression darkened. He was very strict about keeping their relationship a secret to as many people as possible ever since his father's funeral a few weeks ago. Elsa understood completely, what with her being an unmarried monarch and all. She was still amused by all of the entirely correct theories of the townspeople regarding their handholding at the funeral and the snowfall afterwards.

"I would probably be attacked by some presumptuous prince in an attempt to defend your honour," Hank predicted. He ran a hand through his hair and leaned back in his chair. Elsa imagined Hank breaking the hand of the poor man who would try and touch her. She really shouldn't, but she smiled at the thought.

"She looks beautiful," Hank observed, nodding towards Elsa's sister across the dance floor. Anna's wedding dress was pure white, with a fluffy skirt and tight bodice. Her arms were sleeveless but loose fabric crossed her shoulders, giving the illusion of shoulder pads. The dress was dotted with intricate patterns made of pearls. Plain diamond dangler earrings sparkled in her ears. She did look spectacular.

"I think we can safely say that the bride is the most beautiful woman in the room tonight," Elsa agreed proudly. She was very happy for Anna. She thanked God for Hank, knowing that she probably wouldn't have let this happen without him.

"I don't know if I would go that far, Elsa." He let out a light smile, the kind that would have been concealed from his Liege if he still had his beard.

The Queen rolled her eyes. "Flattery gets you nowhere, Captain Eriksson," she lied. She reached over and took his hand in hers. She bit her lip playfully and gave him a wink. "I don't think I can wait until after the party, Hank," she joked.

"Whoa, Elsa! Hold yourself back!" Anna teased, appearing suddenly from behind the soldier. The Queen frowned at the smarmy tone of her younger sibling. She hadn't forgotten that Anna had predicted the…escalation between the Queen and her best friend. How could she when Anna reminded her of that every chance she got. Elsa really wished sometimes that she hadn't told her sister about her new relationship.

_But is it really a "relationship"?_

Elsa considered the thought. She spent no more time than usual with the guard. He still kept her company during all of her royal duties. She would still watch him play hockey in the courtyard with his friends and feed the stable horses with him. Really, not a whole lot of things had changed. Small stuff, like a loving kiss here and there, some exchanged words, some 'illicit night-time activities' (as Kai would scoff if he knew).

Maybe nothing did change between them. Maybe they were in a relationship the whole time and just never acknowledged it. _Just how long have I loved him_, she pondered, _how long had he loved me?_

She realized she didn't really care.

"You should talk, Anna," Elsa countered, breaking out of her thoughts. "You probably can't wait until tonight when Kristoff can finally relieve you of your wicked urges."

Hank spit out the water he had just sipped. Anna and Elsa turned their questioning gazes to the man; a light blush started spreading over the younger's face. The guard stood up quickly and sloppily.

"I need a beer," he announced.

"No you don't," Elsa inferred. "If you're wearing the uniform, you aren't drinking."

Anna made a whipping motion with her hand. Hank frowned and glared at her stomach in response. She stopped her teasing immediately and straightened out. Her face was bright red. The guard's own expression changed instantly from scolding to one of sadness and wanting when he turned back to his lady.

"Come on, Elsa," Hank pleaded.

"Don't think you get special privileges because I love you. No alcohol when you're in those clothes. The same rules for all my guards, it is only fair."

Anna leaned over to Hank. "Those clothes? She just wants you to get naked," the bride whispered. A sharp winter breeze blew through Anna's wedding dress, eliciting a shriek from the girl inside. Elsa smirked.

"Hank, would you please go get me a beer?" Elsa asked. Hank smiled widely and raced towards the bar. Elsa rolled her eyes before glaring at Anna. "Now, what was that all about?"

Anna rubbed her thighs through the dress and took Hank's seat. "You know, Elsa, threatening me with your powers is petty and mean."

"I didn't threaten you," Elsa assured. Anna pulled up a leg to rub a frigid ankle and stuck her tongue out at her sister. Elsa lifted a finger to hit it with a little jolt of cold but decided against it. It was true; she couldn't use her powers like that too much…even if Anna was asking for it.

"Why did Hank give you that look?" Elsa pressed.

Anna considered running away. She couldn't tell Elsa yet, it was bad enough that Kristoff told Hank. Anna thought about how hard it would be to jump over the table in her wedding dress but opted not to make a scene instead. She could always tell half the truth…

"Kristoff and I have had-"

"Stop!" Elsa yelled. Nearby guests turned towards the sound but a smile and a wave from both girls sent them back to their activities. The Queen shivered in her seat, a really odd sight all things considered. "I don't need to hear the words. I don't want to think about that. Oh God, Anna, I can't believe you wore white today!"

"As if you can lecture me about that!" Anna accused. "Mrs. Eriksson over here and her 'singing' in the middle of the night!"

"Shush, Anna!" Elsa whispered harshly. She blushed deep crimson. She knew she was loud and that Anna's room was right down the hall but it still surprised her to know that her younger sister could hear her 'evening activities'. She wondered who else had happened upon the sounds of Elsa and Hank's passion. _Hell, maybe the whole kingdom that first time when we were outside._

"Why don't you tell everyone about Hank, Elsa?" Anna wondered. "Holding it back will just cause a ton of problems."

Elsa uncrossed her legs then re-crossed them. "Hank is very afraid of the political consequences," she explained.

"So then what happens when those foreign suitors come by to take your hand? Do you just keep shrugging them off until you're old and can get away with it? Will Hank just sit by when you marry the best trade partner, settling for being your concubine?"

Elsa frowned. He would probably actually do that, not that she would ever let it happen. "What happens if I were to mother Hank's children?" Elsa thought out loud. Anna nodded, if a little too eagerly.

"Exactly."

They stopped their exchange just in time to catch the topic of conversation reach the table with an overflowing mug of the troll's ale in hand. He set it down in front of Elsa and her face contorted awkwardly. It had a greenish tinge and the head of the beverage was thick and sloppy like the moss it's made out of. She looked at Hank as if the most important question in the world was why the hell he got a pint of this stuff.

The soldier shrugged and took the seat Anna was not sitting in. "I might never get another chance in my life to try this," he explained. "Plus, I think we're going to be the only humans here drinking the troll's brew."

"Who is this 'we' you speak of? I asked you to get _me_ a beer," Elsa teased before grabbing the mug and taking a giant gulp. It was alright, really. The taste wasn't much different from normal beers. At first. As the drink sat on her tongue it started to change through a myriad of flavours, most of them entirely unpleasant. She swallowed quickly and slammed the mug on the table. She figured her face was betraying her opinion of the ale since both Anna and Hank looked like they were struggling to hold back laughter.

"Why don't you try it then, Henrik?" Elsa defended, shoving the mug in his direction. He picked it up and eyed it suspiciously. He swished the brew around, causing some smoke to start rising off of the liquid. The three witnesses crinkled their brows simultaneously. Hank shrugged and gave Elsa a wink before tilting the mug and drinking nearly half of it. He swallowed quickly and tried to hide the look of pain on his face. Anna broke into a giggle fit. Elsa seemed satisfied.

"That wasn't good," Hank stated.

"What are you talking about, moss ale is great!" Kristoff proclaimed, strolling up to sit with his bride.

"I guess we weren't the only humans drinking it," Elsa said, motioning to the mug in Kristoff's hand.

"The statement stands," Hank replied.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Kristoff said rather angrily. Anna placed her hand on his shoulder and squeezed it tight.

"How about we go dance for a while?" Anna suggested to her husband. Kristoff smiled and took off with his wife, hand in hand. Elsa watched them take their place in the center of the floor and start dancing, completely oblivious to the stares of the party guests. She saw the women gaze aloofly, with stars in their eyes and hearts full of dreams. She saw the men glare with jealousy, wondering how a man like Kristoff could end up happily with a beautiful princess. Elsa realized this was about the time in the night when she would be accosted by males. She sighed.

"I can escort you out," Hank suggested, catching on to her thoughts through her sigh. She smiled and shook her head.

"No," Elsa decided, "I think today I'm just going to have to break some hearts. I can't leave my sister's wedding reception."

"Why would you!" A voice chimed in on cue. "This party is simply amazing! I have never seen such displays of magic." The newcomer was a tall and lanky man dressed in fabulous attire of multiple colours. His skin was pasty white and his shaggy red locks stuck out like a sore thumb. He looked like a regal clown.

"I'm sorry, sir. I don't think we've been acquainted yet," Elsa politely said. She snuck a look at Hank and wished she didn't. He was trying his hardest to hold in a laugh and now she wanted to laugh too.

"I'm sorry, Queen Elsa!" the man quickly scrambled. "I am Prince Allister from the kingdom of Herchand. We're a decently sized land not three days east of here by boat. You should visit sometime!"

"Perhaps," Elsa conceded. "It must be very…extravagant to produce a noble such as yourself." Hank was dying. Elsa kicked him very noticeably.

Prince Allister raised an eyebrow at the violence. He cleared his throat and continued on. "Anyways, I came forward to ask the Queen's company on the dance floor. I would be blessed to have a moment of time with a woman as fetching as you, your majesty."

Hank couldn't hold it in anymore and started laughing, full and heartily. He gripped his stomach and hunched over in his chair, finding it hard to breathe. Elsa chuckled once before stifling her desire to join him. She gave him a playfully scolding look.

"Excuse Captain Eriksson, Prince Allister, he can be inappropriate sometimes," Elsa apologized. "Now, I'm sorry but I'll have to decline your offer. I don't dance."

"What a shame!" Prince Allister exclaimed. "I would be grateful for a consolation dance then. Maybe your guard there would be interested?"

For his part, Hank just laughed even louder. He slammed his fist on the table a few times as if to tap out. Prince Allister looked somewhat disappointed and shuffled nervously in his spot. Elsa imagined Hank dancing with a clownish man a full foot taller than him and couldn't stop herself from giggling.

"I'm sorry!" Hank managed to get out. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He coughed to regain some composure. "I don't dance with men, unless they're really cute."

Elsa burst into laughter. Prince Allister let out an offended sniffle and walked off. Hank rubbed the Queen's back while she got the rest of her jollies out and offered her some of his glass of water. She gladly accepted, relishing the taste of the spot he had been drinking from earlier.

"Hank, you make life worth living," Elsa confided. He smiled proudly at the compliment. The soldier reached over and gave her thigh a quick squeeze. She wished they were in private so that he would have kept his hand on her. She wished that they could just hold each other here in front of everyone.

"I love you, Henrik," Elsa said. She was loud enough that anyone within five or six feet would hear her clearly.

"I love you too," Hank replied, much quieter than Elsa had spoken. She frowned.

"Hank," Elsa started, "I want to give you everything I can offer of myself. I'm not just talking about the…physicality, I mean I want to be yours completely and I want you to be mine. I know we both want the same thing. We've wanted it for a long time." She made sure he was looking right into her eyes. "I want you to be happy."

"I am happy," he answered confidently. "Happier than I've been since my Mom died. I want to be happy with you for the rest of my life. I'll do whatever you ask of me."

She nodded slowly. "You always have." She looked at her open hands and thought. He was not lying; he would honestly stab himself right now for her if she asked. His loyalty was proven time and again through his service. She considered what she really wanted right now, and what would really be best for everyone. She came to a decision.

"Hank."

"Yes?"

"I want you to dance with me."

His eyebrows rose. He looked completely dumbfounded. "But, you don't dance. I haven't seen you dance at any of the parties we've been to."

"You're right," Elsa admitted. "But back then, I didn't have the right reasons to dance. The right person to dance with."

Hank dared a look at the dance floor. Trolls shook around and bounced like springs. Olaf bounced and threw his body around in a somewhat horrific display of recklessness. Anna and Kristoff enjoyed the centre of the floor, holding each other and swaying to the beat. They were horrible dancers. The soldier turned back to his Queen and curled his lips.

"Hank, I'm not afraid," Elsa assured. "I learned a little while ago now that I don't have to hide. I don't have to be alone. Neither of us is anymore, so how about we stop pretending?"

Hank ran a hand through his hair. "Maybe I should change out of my uniform first?"

"No. Now or never."

The guard chuckled nervously and stood up. He held out a hand and Elsa took it, allowing him to pull her up as well. He bowed regally and Elsa acknowledged it with a nod. He hesitated, standing still with her hand in his. Elsa gripped his hand tight and pulled him towards the floor, getting annoyed that her normally assertive partner was acting so complacent at something so stupid. He kept pace at least, so that it didn't look like he was being forced.

The dancers stopped their merriment as they saw the Queen entering the floor. Party guests stared in awe, the band slowed down, and many people, even the trolls, broke into a whisper fit. Elsa refused to break and run away, no matter how much she wanted to. When she felt she went deep enough into the dance floor she faced her lover and was relieved to see him not dying of embarrassment. She gingerly took his hand and put it on her hip. She clasped the other hand and held it out. Standard ballroom dancing, easy for everyone. She hoped. It wasn't like she did this much, and Hank wasn't too experienced either. She had only jealously watched as he sometimes took a castle maid or kitchen hand out on the floor at the odd party.

The spark in Hank's eyes betrayed his enjoyment of her squirming. She frowned and furrowed her brow. He was the one who was afraid. She wouldn't let herself be in fear anymore. She pulled down on him hard, forcing his lips onto hers. The band stopped. All of the whispers stopped. The party stopped. Everything and everyone focused on the sight of the Queen and a Royal Guard sharing a passionate kiss. _I'm going to have to apologize to Anna for ruining her wedding_, Elsa mused.

When they pulled apart there was a pause before everything returned to normal. Conversations broke out, surely about the newest gossip. The band began playing again, this time a slower ballroom ballad type tune. The trolls danced, not caring about the show they just observed. Anna covered her mouth to stop from screaming, Kristoff's cheeks were red as an apple. Olaf, oddly, was running towards the bar.

Before Elsa became caught up in the reactions of others, Hank pulled her close and began dancing. They moved as one across the floor, singing and swaying with the tune. Elsa wasn't a good dancer by any stretch but she wasn't bad, she looked beautiful at least. Hank was precise and accurate but had no grace to speak of.

"You might have just changed our lives, Elsa," Hank whispered, leaning in her ear. His voice was wavering.

"Good," Elsa purred back. Hank ground his teeth for a spell before shaking it off.

They smiled nervously and danced on, no longer caring about anything in the room but each other.

* * *

_A/N_

So, here it is. This was originally an epilogue chapter that I was going to tack on when the blu ray came out but I figured I'll post it now. Hope you liked it.

I'm sorry to ObservingWriterandReader and anyone else who might have thought this was going on longer. I'm happy to inform you though that I have started a sequel and I know where I'm going with it. There are hints in this last chapter on the kind of topics I'll be touching on. Plus, new characters! It's not going to be too long, I think, so I might just open this story back up and add more chapters on instead of creating a whole new story for it. Keep an eye out around the end of March at the earliest; I have a really busy next couple of months. I don't like posting a story until I'm nearly finished because if I never get around to ending it I would be extremely unfair to the reader. I've been there before as a reader and hate it.

Posting this has been a great experience for me. I've written quite a bunch of stories before but this was the first one I ever concluded, so I actually sent it out. I write for myself so it was odd to see so many people come to enjoy the story themselves. Makes me feel good. Thank you to everyone who read this, even if you didn't like it. I might go back and finish some of my old stories in the summer because I enjoyed this so much.

I would like to end with a note that probably isn't too important, but some of you might care. If any of you readers would like to use Hank in your own stories, go for it. Change his character, kill him violently, whatever; do what you want. I only have one request; if anyone uses Hank in a story of their own I would like a link to it. I would be interested in seeing someone else's take. I love the guy and hope some of you do too. He's fun to write.

I would also like to leave you with a question. Do you think Hank and Elsa made the correct choice? Tell me why in a PM or reviews if you would like to answer. I enjoy hearing your thoughts and I love reviews.

Thank you for sticking with me this long and I hope to see you again at some point. Whether that be as a reader on something I wrote or a writer on something I'm reading. Maybe it would be on a piece of art I'm looking at or even in real life. Who knows where creativity takes us, eh?

Hope you enjoyed the story,

-AirbornAnomaly


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